NEW DELHI: The Uttarakhand government tabled in the assembly the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill, and once it is passed and the law gets implemented, the state will become the first one in the country after Independence to adopt a common set of laws that are applicable to all the citizens of India and is not based on religion in dealing with marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption, among other personal matters.

The bill has 392 sections, 7 schedules and 172 pages and seeks a complete ban on polygamy, and if cleared, will instate equal inheritance rights for both the son and daughter.

The bill provides for mandatory registration of marriages within 60 days failing which there would be a fine of about Rs 10,000 provision of maintenance for women deserted by partners. It also has a provision for live-in couples to register their relationship and as per reports it has provided for some stringent provisions regarding the same. 

The opposition has said it does not support the bill as it has not been given a chance to study the same although since the government has a full majority to pass the bill, it would have been better to give the opposition some time to prepare.  Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya said that he failed to understand the logic behind the urgency being shown by the BJP government in tabling the UCC Bill, calling it a 'poll gimmick'. "They expect us to read such a lengthy document, which was submitted a couple of days ago, and start the discussion. It looks like the government is trying to hide something,”

The UCC is the fulfilment of a major election promise by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in the 2022 Uttarakhand assembly polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been advocating for a Uniform Civil Code and In June last year had said the country couldn't run on two laws, much like it didn't work to have "different set of rules for different members of a family.