Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code committee sifts through four lakh suggestions, plans more public outreach

Responses cover a range of subjects, from ‘reverse inheritance’ and banning polygamy-polyandry to same age of marriage for men and women

The five-member team formed to frame the draft for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand is currently struggling to read and analyse over three lakh handwritten letters, 60,000 e-mails, and 22,000 suggestions uploaded on their website by residents of the hill State sharing their view and recommendations on ‘One Law For All’. Among the suggestions, which have mostly been received from tribal belts, and rural and hilly areas, are policy interventions on “reverse inheritance” (parents to have rights over their offspring’s property), same age of marriage for both genders, and a total ban on polygamy and polyandry.

Speaking to The Hindu, a member of the UCC panel said that they were currently in the process of reading the approximately four lakh suggestions, which may take a month or possibly more time. “We are trying to incorporate all the suggestions given by the people, especially related to gender equality,” he said.

The State has a population of about 1 crore. When asked how an unbiased uniform law can emerge from the views of about 4% of the population (going by the number of suggestions received), a senior member said that the exercise was not even needed to legislate if the government intended to do so. “Asking suggestions from people is a healthy way to make laws. This 4% may look a small number but the suggestions we have received are great and worth incorporating,” he added.

The panel has so far held 18 meetings in various places in the State, including in the last village in Chamoli district, Mana. People in the Nabi, Gunji and Kuti villages in Pithoragarh district along the India-Nepal border have also responded. All these villages are in tribal-dominated regions. The UCC panel going to recommence its public outreach to create awareness on the subject from November 9.

Also read: All India Muslim Personal Law Board opposes Uniform Civil Code

“The tribal community was more aware of the UCC then those in plains. They wanted gender neutral laws for all, in matters pertains to marriage, divorce and succession, to name a few,” the member said.

Another member of the UCC committee said elderly people in Pithoragarh had told them they had spent all they had on the education of their children and on sending them to cities but received nothing in turn when they became old and helpless. “They questioned us that if children have equal rights in parents’ income and property, parents should also be given equal rights [on their children’s property] so that they can also live a decent life as their children live,” a member, who said that this suggestion would be included in the recommendations, along with another suggestion in which young men and women asked to have the same age for marriage.