Jaipur: The state govt will introduce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill during the Monsoon session of Assembly beginning Aug 20, with the draft expected to get cabinet approval Thursday. The Bill seeks to establish uniform laws governing aspects of personal life like marriage, divorce, inheritance and succession, while prohibiting practices such as polygamy, sources said.The draft has been prepared after an extensive exercise that involved seeking feedback on individual clauses and examining similar UCC provisions in other states, particularly Assam and Uttarakhand.Politically, the move is being seen as an effort by Bhajan Lal Sharma govt to align Rajasthan more closely with Modi govt’s broader push for a Uniform Civil Code.A source familiar with the draft said it contains provisions aimed at bringing greater uniformity to areas currently governed by different personal laws.The Bill is likely to make registration of marriages and divorces mandatory and provide for equal inheritance rights for men and women, besides according legal validity to both written and witnessed wills. It may also prescribe stringent penalties for violations of some of these provisions, with certain offences likely to carry jail terms of seven to 10 years.The state govt is also considering provisions relating to live-in relationships as part of the proposed law, with the Bill expected to contain elements of the Assam UCC framework that provides for registration of live-in relationships, recognises children born from such relationships as legitimate and allows deserted partners to seek maintenance.It also provides common grounds for divorce across communities.Rajasthan’s UCC Bill is expected to broadly follow some of these principles, while keeping tribal communities outside its ambit.GfxLikely ProvisionsMandatory registration of marriages and divorcesCommon grounds for divorce across communitiesEqual inheritance rights for men and womenLegal validity for both written and witnessed willsRegistration framework for live-in relationshipsStringent penalties for violations, up to 10 years’ jail
