"If needed, we will challenge it in court": Congress' Salman Khurshid on Uttarakhand UCC

"Let it happen. Let them implement it today. After that, we will see," Khurshid told reporters here.

"I too have a house in Uttarakhand, will it be applicable to me too? It also says that it will be applicable to those who are residents of Uttarakhand, regardless of wherever they live. So, how far will UCC follow them? What they have done and with what thinking they have done this - we don't understand it...If there is something in it that needs to be discussed, we will do it. If needed, we will challenge it in court," he added.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the implementation of UCC will bring uniformity in all laws relating to personal civil matters that discriminate based on caste, religion, gender, etc, adding that all the necessary preparations have been completed to implement UCC, including approval of the rules of the Act and training of the concerned officials.

Taking to X, CM Dhami wrote, "Dear residents of the state, The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in the state from January 27, 2025, making Uttarakhand the first state in independent India where this law will come into effect. All the necessary preparations have been completed to implement UCC, which includes approval of the rules of the Act and training of the concerned officials. UCC will bring uniformity to society and ensure equal rights and responsibilities for all citizens. The Uniform Civil Code is just an offering made by our state in the great yagya being done by the Prime Minister to make the country a developed, organized, harmonious and self-reliant nation. Under the Uniform Civil Code, an attempt has been made to bring uniformity in all laws relating to personal civil matters that discriminate on the basis of caste, religion, sex etc."

The Uttarakhand government will implement the Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code Act, 2024, today establishing a streamlined framework for the creation and cancellation of wills and supplementary documents, known as codicils, under testamentary succession.

According to the state government, this act applies to the entire area of the state of Uttarakhand and is also effective on the residents of the state living outside Uttarakhand.

The UCC applies to all residents of Uttarakhand, except Scheduled Tribes and protected authority-empowered persons and communities.

Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), aiming to simplify and standardize personal laws related to marriage, divorce, succession, and inheritance.

Under this, marriage can be solemnised only between those parties, none of whom has a living spouse, both are mentally capable of giving legal permission, the man should have completed at least 21 years of age and the woman 18 years of age and they should not be in the ambit of prohibited relationships.

Marriage rituals can be performed in any form under religious customs or legal provisions, but it is mandatory to register marriages taking place after the implementation of the Act within 60 days.

Marriages solemnised before March 26, 2010, or outside the state of Uttarakhand, where both the parties have been living together since then and fulfil all the legal eligibility criteria, can (although it is not mandatory) get registered within six months of the coming into force of the Act, said an official statement by the government.

Similarly, the work of acceptance and acknowledgement of marriage registration is also required to be completed promptly. After receiving the application, the sub-registrar has to make an appropriate decision within 15 days. (ANI)