Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to pass the Uniform Civil Code when on Wednesday, the State Assembly passed it by voice vote.

Speaking in the Assembly on the Bill before its passage, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami congratulated the people of the State and said that “Uttarakhand legislature is going to create a history”. He also said that the Bill is not an ordinary one but a formula for the unity of India.

“The concept which was envisioned by the architects of our Constitution is going to be realized today from Devbhoomi Uttarakhand,” Dhami remarked.

“The Uniform Civil Code will give equal rights to all without discriminating in matters like marriage, maintenance, adoption, succession, divorce etc. This is also the fundamental right of every citizen,” he stated. Dhami also affirmed that the UCC Bill seeks to bring uniformity in all laws relating to personal civil matters discriminating on the basis of caste, religion, region and sex under the Uniform Civil Code.

The Chief Minister said that when the people elected his government to power, a promise was made to bring Uniform Civil Code in the State, a five-member committee was formed under the leadership of retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai and consequently more than 2,32,000 suggestions were received for the formulation of the law.

“Just as Mother Ganga emerging from this Devbhoomi irrigates all the creatures living on its banks without any discrimination, this Ganga of equal rights emerging from this House will ensure the constitutional rights of all our citizens”, Dhami asserted

Further, he explained that the Bill does not mean that there should be uniformity in everybody’s actions, “rather it means that we all should work lawfully with similar thoughts and behavior.”

The Bill will now be sent to the President for her assent.