Uttarakhand Bill on Uniform Civil Code gets President’s nod

• Uttarakhand has now become the first State in Independent India to have a Uniform Civil Code after the President gave assent to the UCC Bill, 2024.

Key Highlight

• The Bill, which has kept tribal people out of its ambit, has banned practices like halala, iddat, and talaq (customs related to marriage and divorce in Muslim Personal Law).
• It ensures that women are given equal rights in matters related to property and inheritance rights.
• Under Article 201 of the ‘Constitution of India’, the President gave assent to the ‘Uniform Civil Code Uttarakhand 2024’ Bill passed by the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly

Uniform Civil Code (UCC)

• UCC provides for one law for the entire country across all religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.
• UCC is defined in Article 44 as part of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP), in part of Part IV of the Constitution.
• Article 44 - It states that ‘The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India’.
• UCC aims to enforce a uniform legal framework to all citizens, irrespective of their religion.

Prelims Takeaway

• Article 44
• UCC