Have UCC amendments been enforced, HC asks govt

Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court, while hearing a bunch of petitions against Uniform Civil Code (UCC), implemented on Jan 27, 2025, directed the state to clarify by next hearing whether amendments to the Act have been made and enforced.

The petitioners argued they were unaware of any changes, despite the govt earlier stating that amendments were underway.A division bench comprising Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay scheduled the next hearing of the matter for the third week of July.Challenges focus on provisions around live-in relationships, with petitioners claiming violations of privacy and fundamental rights.In Oct 2024, the govt filed a 78-page affidavit proposing revisions to make UCC rules “practical, transparent and citizen-friendly.” Key changes include restricting data sharing to record-keeping and mandating registrars and police to ensure applicants’ privacy.The proposed changes — detailed in a 78-page affidavit submitted before the division bench of then Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Subhash Upadhyay — sought to “clarify procedures around live-in relationships, registration and appeals while strengthening privacy protections”.

The petitions argued that the state govt, by enacting the UCC, cannot be permitted to infringe upon the fundamental rights, specifically the personal rights, granted to individuals under the Constitution. They contended that this constituted a violation of their right to privacy and therefore necessitated rectification.