Nainital: The Uttarakhand High Court has made a surprising order, asking the police to provide protection to an interfaith live-in couple if they register their relationship within 48 hours under the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which is currently not implemented in the state.
This decision was made while disposing of a protection petition filed by the couple, with a division bench stating that if the couple applies for registration under the UCC within the given time frame, the concerned station house officer will provide security for six weeks.
This order was unexpected as the UCC is not yet in force in Uttarakhand, and the government advocate clarified that it was a misunderstanding on the part of the junior government advocate. The government has stated that a recall application will be filed in this regard, and in the meantime, protection will be provided to the couple.
The Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand, 2024, is an act that governs laws relating to marriage and divorce, succession, live-in relationships, and other related matters in the state. However, as no notification has been issued by the government, the act is not yet in force.
In this case, a Hindu woman and a Muslim man in a live-in relationship had approached the high court due to threats from their families, citing section 378(1) of the Uttarakhand UCC which makes it mandatory for live-in couples to submit their details.
