Legal Battle Over Uniform Civil Code Heats Up in Uttarakhand

A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Nainital High Court challenging the constitutionality of the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand. Petitioners argue that the UCC is anti-people and unconstitutional, promoting discrimination and violating key constitutional rights. The Uttarakhand government has dismissed these claims as misleading.

The Nainital High Court is the new battleground over the controversial Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Act in Uttarakhand, as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has challenged its constitutionality. The petitioners, including Dr. Uma Bhatt, Kamala Pant, and Munish Kumar, criticize the UCC as anti-people and a breach of constitutional rights, especially for women.

Represented by Supreme Court lawyer Vrinda Grover, the petitioners argue that the UCC violates Articles 14, 15, 19, and 21 of the Constitution by promoting inequality and infringing on privacy and young individuals' choice of life partners. Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government has dismissed rumours claiming that the UCC allows outsiders to gain domicile certificates as misleading.

The Home Department has stressed that marriage registration under the UCC is unrelated to domicile provisions and warned of legal action against false information spreaders under Section 353 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. Citizens are advised to seek official sources for information and direct queries to the Home Department if clarity on the UCC is needed.