New Delhi: The adoption of the Uniform Civil Code is a matter of privilege for Uttarakhand, which gives rise to most of the sacred rivers that feed the country, its Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told NDTV today.
"This law is for the protection of children, women, and the elderly," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview on a day the law was passed by the state assembly after a two-day debate.
"BR Ambedkar in the constituent assembly wanted to bring it but there were provisions in the constitution. Uttarakhand got the privilege of doing it," he added.
The UCC bill was passed today by the state assembly through a voice vote. The opposition's proposal for referring the draft legislation to a select committee of the House was rejected. The opposition Congress had argued that the House did not have enough time to study the provisions of the bill, which envisages a single law for all communities in crucial issues including marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance.
BJP-ruled states like Gujarat and Assam are keen to follow suit and might model their bill on that of Uttarakhand, which also has made it mandatory to register live-in relationships.
Asked about the use of the Uttarakhand UCC law as a template, Mr Dhami said, "People gave majority to us and we passed this bill today and we started it. We made a committee and a draft was prepared. We met people from religious bodies to discuss this. Fulfilling vision of Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat".
About the need to register live-in relationships, Mr Dhami said, "For us, the protection of children is important".
The law, he said, is also meant to give assurance to parents and security to children. "There have been incidents in the past and this provision will provide protection," he added.
There have been several cases in the biggest metros of the country where women have been killed by their live-in partners.
The one that generated the most headlines included the murder of Shraddha Walkar, allegedly by her live-in partner Aftaab Poonawala, which gained notoriety as the "refrigerator murder case".