With the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) expected to be implemented in Uttarakhand by the end of this year, a facility that will enable live-in and married couples to register their relationship is in the process of being introduced.
The Uttarakhand Assembly on February 7 passed the UCC bill, which may serve as template for other BJP-run states to enact similar legislation.
UCC calls for the registration of live-in relationships just like marriages and states that live-in partners must not be under 18.
In what may be a first, the government has revealed that registration of live-ins would be possible online, as per a report in The Times of India.
"We want to make it easier for people to complete formalities via the online mode. However, this process is complex as govt staff need formal training. We plan to frame rules and conduct training sessions simultaneously to meet the deadline," Shatrughan Singh, former chief secretary who led the nine-member panel that worked on drafting rules for UCC told the publication.
Adding that the training of the government employees will be conducted in both online as well as offline modes, Singh said that the online registration facility will be beneficial for both government staff as well as the couple since this will reduce the need for visiting the registrar's office several times.
Clarifying his stand on live-in relationships, Singh said that they were not against the concept, neither are they imposing any restriction.
However, the parents of the couples aged between 18 and 21 will be informed about their children's live-in relationships.
The bill that has been passed in the Parliament says that anyone staying in a live-in relationship for more than a month without getting it registered will be punishable with an imprisonment up to three months or a fine of up to Rs 10,000 or both.
A higher fine apart from an imprisonment of up to three months can be imposed on any person who provides false information in his or her statement on a live-in relationship to the Registrar.
If a woman in a live-in relationship gets deserted by her partner, she will be entitled to claim maintenance from him for which she may approach a competent court having jurisdiction over the place where they last cohabited, the bill states.
Meanwhile, the hill state’s small tribal community is exempted from the proposed law, which also mandates registration of live-in relationships.
(With PTI inputs)
Published 26 May 2024, 11:03 IST