Uttarakhand police achieves over 95% marriage registration under UCC in Kumaon Range

Rudrapur: Uttarakhand, the first Indian state to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), has recorded a significant achievement with 95.61% of police personnel in the Kumaon range successfully registering their marriages under the new law.

Officials said that of the 3,212 eligible personnel, 3,071 have completed their marriage registration and all personnel at the Kumaon Range headquarters have achieved 100% compliance, while registration percentages in individual districts ranged from 92.83% to 98.05%.

Inspector general (IG) of Kumaon Range, Ridhim Aggarwal , who has been driving the initiative, directed all district police heads to organise registration camps at police lines and stations, coordinate with Common Service Centres (CSCs), and appoint nodal officers to streamline the process.

"As soon as I took charge, I made it a priority to ensure 100% registration under the UCC among our personnel," Aggarwal said. "We're closely monitoring progress and addressing all pending issues."

For unregistered personnel who are facing issues such as pending Aadhaar corrections, legal separations, or spouses abroad, Aggarwal has instructed district heads to resolve these cases promptly.

Appealing to the public, she said, "Citizens should also come forward and register on the UCC portal to ensure future ease and legal clarity."

So far, the district-wise breakdown is as follows: Almora with 302 out of 308 personnel (98.05%), Bageshwar with 212 out of 219 (96.80%), Champawat with 289 out of 299 (96.66%), Nainital with 902 out of 925 (97.51%), Pithoragarh with 333 out of 350 (95.14%), Udham Singh Nagar with 1,010 out of 1,088 (92.83%) and Kumaon Range HQ with all 23 personnel registered (100%).

The UCC, which aims to promote gender equality in matters of marriage, divorce, and inheritance, came into effect on Jan 27 earlier this year. It was passed by the Uttarakhand state assembly on Feb 7 in 2024 and received presidential assent on March 12. The drafting of the UCC rules was led by senior IPS officer Ridhim Aggarwal during her tenure as additional and special secretary (home).