A religious certificate from clergy members will be required at the time of registering a live-in relationship only if the partners have a pre-existing relation falling under the prohibited category, the panel that framed the rules for the implementation of UCC in Uttarakhand said on Thursday.

Uttarakhand became India's first state to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on January 27.

"Some media reports have raised concern that a religious certificate from clergy members will be required for every live-in relationship registration. It will be required only in cases where the marriage between partners is prohibited. Such relationships have been clearly specified in Schedule 01 of the Code," member of the rules drafting committee Manu Gaur said.

In Uttarakhand, such marriages are extremely rare. This means that less than 1 per cent of UCC registrations in the state will require such a certificate. Communities, where marriages within the prohibited category occur, can still register their relationship by providing a religious certificate, Gaur said.

Thus, the purpose of this requirement is not to restrict registrations but to assist applicants in completing the process, Gaur said. The format of the religious certificate has also been clearly defined in the UCC rules.

Under the UCC, only four documents including proof of residence, date of birth, Aadhaar and rental agreement documents are required at the time of live-in registration, he said.

Additionally, individuals who have been divorced must present a legal divorce decree, while those whose previous spouse has passed away or whose prior live-in relationship has ended must provide relevant documents at the time of registration.

Gaur clarified that under the UCC, any individual who has been living in Uttarakhand for one year is eligible for registration.

This residency period is unrelated to permanent or native residency status. Many people from other states reside in Uttarakhand and availing benefit from government schemes. Now, only those who register under the UCC will be able to access these government services, thereby reducing the strain on Uttarakhand’s resources, he said.

If the UCC is applied only to native and permanent residents, many people from other states would be excluded from its coverage, he said.

They could marry in other states while benefiting from government schemes here. Moreover, the definition of "resident" in the UCC Act is specific to matters related to the UCC and includes five different categories.

Its objective is to ensure that all residents of Uttarakhand have access to UCC registration while also enriching the government's database. This process is similar to voter ID registration and is not linked to permanent or native residency.

Gaur also gave a clarification on the registration form's length, stating that while it is 16 pages long due to various available options, filling it out online takes only five to ten minutes.

Since the form is designed to be foolproof, it has been kept comprehensive. Even offline, it can be completed within 30 minutes. When registering online, Aadhaar details will automatically populate the form, making the process more convenient, he said.

The UCC gives priority to the protection of personal rights and regulates the laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance, and live-in relationships, among others.

It applies to all residents of the state irrespective of their religion and bans polygamy and child marriage.

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