U'khand nod for UCC rules

THE RULES WILL COME INTO FORCE ONCE THEY ARE NOTIFIED LATER THIS MONTH ON A DAY THAT STATE CM DHAMI WILL ANNOUNCE

- HT Correspondent

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand cabinet on Monday approved the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) manual that comprised rules for the administration and courts to implement the controversial legislation, with chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami saying preparations for enforcing UCC were almost complete.

The rules will come into force once they are notified later this month on a day to be announced by Dhami.

"The training process for the UCC implementation is almost complete. During the cabinet meeting, we discussed implementing it as soon as possible. After reviewing everything, we will soon announce its implementation date," the chief minister said after the cabinet meeting.

Officials aware of the matter said the rules provide for a mechanism to implement the law and an appellate authority in case of disputes. "Under the rules, all registrations for marriages, divorces, rights of inheritance, live-in relationships and termination of live-in relationships will have to be done through the online portal. The rules provide for the time frame for approving or rejecting the registration," an official familiar with the development said. The portal is mobile friendly, he added.

According to officials, the manual comprises procedures related to registration of marriage and divorce, live-in relationships, birth and death registration, and rules of inheritance. "It is basically a procedure document for officials," an official said.