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The Indian state of Uttarakhand has become the torchbearer for other BJP-ruled states to chart their courses to implement their promise of introducing equality before civil law for their citizens. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has launched the portal which facilitates the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state.

“The UCC creating equal laws for every citizen across all religions comes fully into effect at this moment. The credit for it goes entirely to the people of the state,” Dhami said at the function.

The BJP-ruled state is the first state in independent India to implement the Uniform Civil Code, which promotes equal laws for every citizen across all religions and standardises personal laws on marriage, divorce and property.

Making every citizen of the state equal before the law should be beyond criticism and question. Our sages told us that just as the mother earth gives equal support to all the living beings, a king should give support to all without any discrimination. In the modern times, intellectuals when unbiased, have also expressed similar thoughts, both publicly and privately. A decorated economist of international repute Amartya Sen said “there is nothing non-secular or sectarian in demanding that the provisions of Indian civil laws should apply even-handedly to all.”

But there are people who think being equal before the law, in fact will make some people unequal in India. A small number political and thought leaders and activists claiming to champion the cause of the 20% per cent Muslim population in India make their living out of creating narrative and research to oppose any such idea.

That in turn feeds the anti-India players in the West and the Arab World. While the coverage of the news was “business as usual” for India, having been in the making for more than a year, the media outside India, particularly Al Jazeera painted the news in an entirely anti-Muslim color. And picking up a commentator to suit is no big deal.

Al Jazeera suggest this will “likely trigger unease among India’s Muslim minority”. It referred to the UCC as “the so-called Uniform Civil Code (UCC)”.

And to make their tone, tenor and spin on the issue, Al Jazeera quoted Namrata Mukherjee, senior resident fellow at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, having told Al Jazeera last year – after the Uttarakhand law was passed – that it “disproportionately impacts Muslim personal law practices”.

“While technically a uniform civil code should have standardised provisions of marriage, divorce and succession for all, irrespective of their religious identity, it has selectively outlawed and criminalised personal laws and customary practices of religious minorities, especially Muslims,” she had told Al Jazeera as per the platform.

It is difficult to decipher what other form of “standardization” Ms Mukherjee seems to suggest. It is a complex area of law as faith comes into it and it is highly personal to each and every individual, I get that. But the only other conclusion from what Ms Mukherjee told Al Jazeera can be that the government should have adopted more of the minority community’s (with less than 20% of the country’s population) personal laws to standardize civil laws for the whole country. Ms Mukherjee seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that the Uniform Civil Code (“UCC”) will not affect personal laws. Under the UCC, the area of target is the civic rather than personal or religious life of a citizen.

Those alleging the BJP through the instruments of governance, is introducing “Hindu code” disguised as UCC is completely without foundation. Further, the allegations that the UCC will ban and criminalize live-in relationships, is far from truth. The portal launched by Pushkar Dhami, legalizes such relationships and gives people the chance to declare themselves being in such relationships.

Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami unveiled the notification on UCC, released its rules and regulations and launched a portal designed for the mandatory online registration of marriages, divorce and live-in relationships, in the presence of his ministerial colleagues and members of the UCC drafting committee.

“The UCC creating equal laws for every citizen across all religions comes fully into effect at this moment. The credit for it goes entirely to the people of the state,” Dhami said at the launch.

busting the myths surrounding it, Dhami said the UCC is not meant to target any religion or community as often thought.

Services offered via the portal launched are:

  1. Registration of Marriage/Acknowledgement of Registered Marriage
    Officially register your marriage online.
  2. Registration of Divorce/Nullity of Marriage
    Official recognition of Court’s Decree.
  3. Registration of Live-in Relationship
    Formally register your live-in relationship.
  1. Termination of Live-in Relationship
    Conveniently terminate your live-in status.
  2. Intestate Succession-Declaration of Legal Heirs
    Intestate succession determines legal heirs and asset distribution when someone dies without a will.
  3. Testamentary Succession-Registration of Will
    Securely create and register your will.
  4. Appeal
    Submit appeals against decisions quickly.
  5. Access to Data/Information
    Get access for different Data and Information.
  6. Register a complaint
    Submit and track grievances transparently and efficiently.

By Singh