Uttarakhand Amends Uniform Civil Code Rules: New Flexibility for Live-In Relationship Registration

The Uttarakhand administration has indicated that modifications are being introduced to provide greater "flexibility" in the civil code framework.

In Nainital, authorities from Uttarakhand have submitted a comprehensive 78-page affidavit to the high court outlining amendments to specific provisions under the Uniform Civil Code regulations.

Advocate General SN Babulkar presented this document to a division bench comprising Chief Justice G Narendra and Justice Subhash Upadhyay on October 15. The modifications primarily target Rule 380 of the Registrar's Office, which specifies circumstances that prohibit live-in relationship registrations.

These prohibitions include couples within forbidden relationship degrees, individuals who are already married or engaged in another cohabitation arrangement, and situations involving minors.

According to the affidavit, the proposed adjustments aim to enhance procedures for both registration and termination of cohabiting relationships, provide more transparent guidelines for sharing information with law enforcement agencies, and extend the timeframe for appealing rejected applications.

The revised provisions seek to constrain the scope of data exchange between registrars and local police authorities, explicitly stating that such information sharing serves exclusively for "record-keeping purposes." Additionally, the amendments address requirements regarding Aadhaar usage as identity verification in various registration and declaration processes.

These modifications fundamentally intend to introduce "flexibility" by permitting alternative identification documentation when applicants cannot supply Aadhaar details, particularly in circumstances where they are not the principal applicants.

Furthermore, the affidavit mentions a proposed extension to the appeal window for challenging registrar rejections of cohabitation declarations, increasing it from 30 to 45 days following receipt of the rejection notification.