By Shubhangi Chauhan
The Uttarakhand High Court seeks input from the state government regarding their ability to gather new public proposals followed by UCC changes. During hearings of public interest litigations, the court examined provisions in the UCC which demanded registration for live-in relationships.
The divisional bench composed of Justices Manoj Tiwari and Ashish Naithani pressed the Solicitor General about possible modifications. Has the court started a fresh invitation to receive vital changes? The court made this request to the state legislature while seeking possible changes in their laws.
Senior advocate Vrinda Grover represented petitioners including Dr. Uma Bhatt, Kamla Pant, and Munish Kumar before court to defend the argument that live-in registration rules in UCC allows the government to perform personal life monitoring. She explained that immediately after registration, the details would be reported to law enforcement which creates privacy problems. The court questioned UCC provisions for police domestic entry while reminding that such powers might breach constitutional rights.
The requirement within the Act for women to make pregnancy termination reports opposes privacy rights, Vrinda Grover argued at the hearing. These regulatory standards would create the risk of forcing women to endure public disgrace as well as social coercion according to her warnings. She emphasized that the law requires Aadhaar-based registration against Supreme Court rulings that safeguard privacy.
The UCC received defense from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who stated that the public comments have been heard and the new provisions exist to safeguard weak women. The government agreed to review the court’s proposal for consulting women again.
The court admitted changes in social ties between people, yet continued that personal rights should not overshadow public welfare considerations. The state is yet to present a response by 1, April 2025.