The Uttarakhand government has issued a clarification on recent media reports claiming that a certificate of religion would be required for registering a live-in relationship under the Uniform Civil Code that came into force on January 27.
Manu Gaur, a member of the UCC Rules Committee, clarified that such a certificate would only be needed in cases where marriage between the partners is prohibited, for example, if one partner is already married or the partners are related.
For registering a live-in relationship under the UCC, only four key documents are necessary: proof of residence, date of birth, Aadhaar card, and rental agreement of where the couple live (if applicable). If one of the partners is divorced, a legal divorce decree is required. If the previous spouse is deceased or the previous live-in relationship has ended, relevant documents must also be provided.
Gaur emphasized that a religious certificate will only be required for relationships falling under the prohibited category mentioned in the UCC. However, such cases are rare in Uttarakhand (less than 1% of registrations), so this requirement will not affect most applicants. Communities, where these prohibited relationships occur, can still register by submitting a religious certificate.
The goal of this certificate requirement is not to limit registrations but to assist applicants in completing the process. The format for the religious certificate is already defined in the UCC rules.
There are also concerns about the UCC's residency requirements. Anyone who has lived in Uttarakhand for at least one year is eligible for registration, regardless of whether they are a permanent or native resident. This is to ensure that all residents of Uttarakhand can access UCC registration and related government services, helping to reduce the strain on local resources.
If UCC registration is limited to only permanent or native residents, many individuals from other states are excluded from coverage, despite benefiting from government schemes in Uttarakhand.
The UCC Act defines ‘resident’ to include five categories of people, and the aim is to streamline the registration process for everyone living in the state.
Gaur also clarified that while the UCC registration form is 16 pages long due to its comprehensiveness, filling it out online takes only 5-10 minutes. The form is designed to be easy to use, and Aadhaar details are auto-filled to simplify the process. Completing the form offline will take around 30 minutes.
