UCC: Uttarakhand govt wants live-in relationships to be registered

Dehradun: Live-in partners in Uttarakhand will have to register themselves with district officials or face imprisonment under the state's Uniform Civil Code, once it becomes a law.

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) of Uttarakhand, 2024 bill also says that any child born of a live-in relationship shall be considered a legitimate child.

The bill, which was tabled in the House by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, on Tuesday make it obligatory for partners of a live-in relationship within the state, whether they are residents of Uttarakhand or not, to submit a statement of their relationship to the Registrar within whose jurisdiction they are living in a prescribed format.

Live-in relationships in which at least one partner is a minor will not be registered. If any of the partners is under the age of 21, the registrar will inform their parents or guardians, according to the bill.

Live-in relationships, where the consent of one of the partners was obtained by force, coercion, undue influence, misrepresentation or fraud concerning the identity of the other partner, will also not be registered.

Anyone staying in a live-in relationship for more than a month without getting it registered will be punishable with an imprisonment up to three months or a fine of up to Rs 10,000 or both, the bill says.

A higher fine apart from an imprisonment of up to three months can be imposed on any person who provides false information in his or her statement on a live-in relationship to the Registrar.

If a woman in a live-in relationship gets deserted by her partner, she will be entitled to claim maintenance from him for which she may approach a competent court having jurisdiction over the place where they last cohabited, the bill states.

The bill proposes a common law on marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance for all citizens irrespective of their religion in Uttarakhand, excluding the Scheduled Tribes.