The Uttarakhand High Court has asked the state government whether it is willing to make necessary changes to the recently implemented Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The court’s concerns arise from multiple petitions challenging the UCC’s provisions, particularly regarding live-in relationships and privacy issues.
Court Seeks State’s Response
A division bench of Justices Manoj Tiwari and Ashish Naithani posed this question to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta during a PIL hearing. Mehta appeared for the proceedings via video conferencing. The court has tagged all petitions related to the UCC and scheduled the matter for hearing on April 1.
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Privacy Concerns in Live-In Relationships
One of the key issues raised in the PIL is the mandatory registration of live-in relationships. The petitioners argue that the details sought in the registration forms violate individuals’ privacy. Additionally, they claim that allowing police stations to store this data may lead to unwarranted domiciliary visits, disrupting the personal lives of couples.
The court emphasized that the police is a state agency and should not harass individuals.
Pregnancy Disclosure Requirement Under Scrutiny
Another provision under challenge is the requirement for a woman to announce her pregnancy status to terminate a live-in relationship. The petitioners argue that this infringes upon women’s rights and autonomy.
Previous Court Actions
Earlier, the court had given both the Centre and the state six weeks to respond to a similar plea against the UCC. Now, all related petitions have been grouped together for further hearings.
With the next hearing set for April 1, the state’s response to the court’s question regarding amendments to the UCC will be crucial in determining the future course of action.
