Ban on polygamy, live-in declaration recommended in Uttarakhand's UCC draft: report

A five-member panel led by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai submitted a draft of the Uniform Civil Code to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami on February 1.

After a nod from the state Cabinet, the draft will likely be tabled in the form of a bill before the assembly on February 6.

The details of the draft accessed by Indian Express show that it has excluded tribal populations from the purview of the law, because of their special status. Here's what the bill has suggested.

• Halala, iddat, and triple talaq — the practices governing marriage and divorce as per the Muslim personal law — made punishable offences
• Recommendation to ban polygamy
• Mandatory registration for live-in relationships
• Retaining the girl's marriage age to 18, with a provision of increasing it to 21 years.
• Girls will have equal rights in inheritance
• Both husband and wife will have equal reasons and grounds for divorce
• Mandatory registration of marriage

If implemented, Uttarakhand will become the first state in India after independence to adopt a uniform law governing personal matters, regardless of religion.

(With inputs from agencies)