Equal rights

Uttarakhand's UCC needed more thought

The state of Uttarakhand has offered an indication of the sort of civil society the Bharatiya Janata Party visualises with the passage of its Uniform Civil Code on Wednesday. The state became the first since Independence to pass a common law on marriage, divorce, property inheritance, and live-in relationships, cutting across religious personal laws (although Scheduled Tribes are exempt). In intent, the new law cannot be faulted in strengthening the rights of women. For instance, it has standardised the minimum marriageable age for women, outlawed divorce and remarriage of divorced spouses through extra-judicial modes (including such practices as nikah halala),