Madhya Pradesh cabinet clears UCC bill banning triple talaq and polygamy
The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Sunday approved the draft Uniform Civil Code bill, clearing the way for a common civil law in the state that
The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Sunday approved the draft Uniform Civil Code bill, clearing the way for a common civil law in the state that bans triple talaq and polygamy, criminalises 'nikah halala', and makes registration of marriages and divorces compulsory across faiths, with Scheduled Tribes kept outside its scope. The bill will be introduced in the monsoon session of the assembly beginning Monday. Read Full Story The proposed law also sets rules for live-in relationships, including mandatory registration within a month, and provides equal legal status and inheritance rights to children regardless of whether they are born in marriage, through adoption, surrogacy, assisted reproductive technology, or a live-in relationship. It also allows a woman in a live-in relationship to seek maintenance through a competent court if the male partner abandons her. After the cabinet cleared the draft at a special meeting in Jagdishpur, formerly Islam Nagar, near Bhopal, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the state would now have a uniform law for everyone, including "Ram and Rahim". He said the bill would not apply to Scheduled Tribes covered under Articles 342 and 366 (Clause 25) of the Constitution, and that communities whose traditional rights are protected under Part XXI of the Constitution had also been exempted. Under the draft, couples in a live-in relationship must submit a "Statement of Live-in Relationship" to the Registrar within one month of starting to live together.
Both partners must be at least 18 years old, must not fall within prohibited categories, should not be previously married, and their consent must be voluntary. The bill proposes up to three months' imprisonment or a fine of Rs 10,000 for living together for more than a month without registration, three months' jail and a fine of Rs 25,000 for giving false information, and up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000 for failing to submit a statement despite notice from the Registrar. The draft mandates monogamy for all communities and says a person can have only one living spouse at a time. It also bars marriages based on invalid consent or involving prohibited relationships, unless allowed by custom. Registration of marriages and divorces will be done through the MP e-Nagarpalika Portal in urban areas and through the SDM, municipality or panchayat in rural areas. After divorce, complying with, promoting or forcing someone to undergo humiliating or degrading conditions such as 'nikah halala' to remarry the same spouse will be treated as a punishable criminal offence. Yadav said the Justice Ranjana Desai committee, which prepared the draft UCC, submitted its report to him last week. Calling the move a "major, historic step", he said the law was aimed at equality, equity, justice and secularism as set out in the Constitution.
The BriefWire