Jaipur, July 6 (IANS). Before bringing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill, the Rajasthan government has started inviting suggestions from the public to improve the proposed law.
A high-powered committee formed to prepare the draft of UCC has sought opinions on 19 important questions through online portal and interaction with people. The draft bill incorporating people’s views is expected to be tabled in the next session of the state assembly. One of the important proposals being considered is mandatory registration of live-in relationships.
The committee has also sought people’s opinion on whether legal rules related to divorce should apply when a live-in relationship ends.
The list of questions and answers includes many questions related to marriage, divorce, inheritance and property rights, with special attention given to live-in relationships. The committee is seeking views on creating uniform legal rules applicable to all communities and whether it should be mandatory for live-in couples to register their relationship.
The high-powered committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai is visiting divisional headquarters in Rajasthan and talking to people.
Along with interacting with people, citizens have also been asked to send their suggestions online. People’s opinions will be incorporated in the UCC draft bill, which is expected to be introduced in the next session of the Rajasthan Assembly.
The first 10 questions include:
Information about Article 44: Did you know that Article 44 of the Constitution directs the State to endeavor to enforce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for all citizens throughout India?
Constitutional Validity: Do you agree that a Uniform Civil Code can be implemented without violating the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution?
Support UCC: Do you support the implementation of Uniform Civil Code?
Scope of the UCC: Should the UCC cover matters such as marriage, divorce, succession by will, inheritance and live-in relationships?
Gender equality: Religious personal law has rules that treat men and women differently. Do you agree that such discriminatory practices should be eliminated?
Compulsory registration of divorce: Should registration of divorce be made mandatory?
Uniform grounds for divorce: Should the grounds for divorce be the same for all communities?
Uniform Law of Maintenance: Should there be uniform law for maintenance after divorce?
Impact on family disputes: Do you think that Uniform Civil Code will reduce family disputes and make legal procedures easier and more effective?
Equal property rights: Should the UCC ensure equal property rights for men and women in all communities?
The Committee has appealed to citizens to actively participate in the dialogue process by sending their views online or attending scheduled public hearings. Online suggestions can be sent through the state’s special UCC portal till July 25.
Officials said the purpose of this negotiation process is to ensure that public opinion is included in the proposed law before it is introduced in the Rajasthan Assembly. Common people can send their suggestions online through the special UCC portal till July 25.
The committee has scheduled public hearings at different divisional headquarters. In Jaipur, the hearings will be held on July 10-11 in the presence of committee member Shatrughan Singh; In Ajmer, the hearing will be held on July 7 in the presence of committee member Basant Singh Chhaba; In Udaipur, the hearings will be held on July 13-14 in the presence of committee member Basant Singh Chhaba; In Kota, the hearings will be held on July 7-8 in the presence of committee member Ramswaroop Agarwal; And in Bharatpur, the hearings will be held on July 9-10 in the presence of committee member Ramswaroop Agarwal.
The committee will gather feedback from the public before preparing a draft UCC bill for the consideration of the state government.
–IANS
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