UCC may bar religious divorce, remarriage on any pre-condition

New Delhi: Uttarakhand's uniform civil code bill is set to bar divorce except by judicial process, in effect prohibiting the Iddat and Khula permitted in Islam.

Also, remarriage options on any precondition will be barred, as per the proposed code, which is learnt to have backed equal property rights for women across all religions.

ET has learnt that UCC is expected to make registration of live-in relationships mandatory with district authorities. However, the proposal to increase marriageable age for women from 18 to 21 years is not likely to figure in the final code.


While UCC will not suggest a 'two-child norm' law, it may advise the state government on a population control law.

UCC may take a nuanced position on the coparcenary rights of male heirs in the Hindu Undivided Family system, citing equal succession rights for men and women.

"Intent and aim of the report is equal rights for women at every front - from marriage to live-in relationships - in order to prevent victimisation, harassment, blackmail, crime and unfair treatment. Hence, the idea of divorce only through judicial proceedings and registration of live-in relationships," said a person in the known.

The template is likely to be reflected either in resolutions or bills in BJP-ruled Gujarat and Assam ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

In November 2022, ahead of the Gujarat assembly polls, the BJP-led state government announced a committee to ensure UCC implementation in the state. Simultaneously, BJP promised the same in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.

Several top BJP leaders from party-ruled Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have also been pitching for a uniform civil code.