The Uttarakhand High Court has fixed November 10 for the next hearing on a batch of petitions questioning the constitutional validity and special provisions of the state’s Uniform Civil Code (UCC), 2025.
A division bench of Chief Justice G. Narendra and Justice Subhash Upadhyay heard the matter, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing through video conferencing. Over half a dozen petitions have been filed so far, raising objections to various aspects of the new law.
One of the main petitions, filed by Suresh Singh Negi of Bhimtal, challenges the UCC’s provisions on live-in relationships. Negi argues that these provisions overlook the marital customs of communities such as Muslims and Parsis.
He also pointed out a key inconsistency: while the minimum marriageable age is 21 for men and 18 for women, the UCC sets 18 years as the minimum age for both partners entering a live-in relationship.
Another petitioner, Almasuddin Siddiqui from Dehradun, has raised similar objections, calling the provisions arbitrary and violative of personal laws and customs.
Other petitions have focused on the ease of dissolving live-in relationships under the UCC. The code allows such relationships to be ended through a simple written intimation to the registrar, with dissolution taking effect after 15 days.
By contrast, dissolution of marriages requires judicial proceedings that can drag on for years and involve issues like maintenance and alimony. The petitioners argue that this imbalance could incentivise live-in relationships over marriage, thereby undermining the institution of marriage itself.
The bench has scheduled November 10 to continue hearing the matter and examine the constitutional and legal challenges to the UCC in detail.
