Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami thumped his chest in pride when he informed all of us who belong to this state that we would now be brought under a uniform legal framework for marriage, divorce, property, inheritance, and adoption laws. A minimum age for marriage had been stipulated across all religions, and all marriages and divorces would necessarily have to be registered.

The law has been with us for the past twenty months, and the question uppermost in my mind is what difference has it made to the lives of the public? Marriage registrations increased exponentially, with 4.7 lakh marriages having been registered during the last year itself. Most of these were registered online. In contrast, only 316 obtained certificates for divorce.

Live-In Relationships Face Resistance

The most contentious aspect of this act was the compulsory registration of couples in live-in relationships who were required to register their relationship within one month of the start of the relationship. Failure to do so could attract imprisonment of up to three months, a fine of up to Rs 10,000, or both. Sixty-eight Uttarakhandis signed up for live-in relationships, while two bravehearts obtained certificates to show they had ended the relationship.

This institutionalisation of live-in relationships does not have the approval of a large section of the people in the state. "The UCC seems to treat marriage and live-in on par with each other, which may not find ready social acceptance in a state like Uttarakhand where traditional institutions like marriage are still deeply rooted," senior Uttarakhand High Court lawyer Dushyant Mainali said.

Gujarat Follows Uttarakhand

Gujarat became the second state to pass the UCC on March 24, 2026. The UCC framework for this state reads like a carbon copy of the Uttarakhand framework. No official data is available........

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