RAIPUR: In the ongoing consultation process regarding the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Chhattisgarh, prominent representatives and delegations from women-led organisations presented detailed recommendations to the state’s UCC panel, placing live-in relationships, equal property inheritance, and uniform maintenance laws at the forefront of their demands.
The consultative session was led by UCC Committee members: retired IAS officer M.K. Raut and senior advocate Mohan Pawar engaged with attendees on the practical and legal dimensions surrounding marriage, divorce, alimony, succession, and emerging social arrangements.
Addressing vulnerabilities faced by women in informal partnerships, delegate Shweta Padda urged the panel to make the registration of live-in relationships mandatory to curb exploitation. There were demands for ensuring comprehensive inheritance, maintenance, and custody rights for children born out of live-in relationships, alongside verified biological parentage.
Advocate Suchitra Vardhan pointed out that simple mutual agreements between cohabiting partners carry ambiguous legal standing under existing frameworks, underscoring the urgent need for clear statutory provisions.
BJP spokesperson Shatabdi Pandey advocated replacing religion-based personal laws with neutral, gender-equal statutes.
Acknowledging Chhattisgarh's substantial tribal population, participants and committee members agreed on wide consultations to preserve and respect indigenous customs, traditions, and cultural practices within any broader legal framework.
Advocate Hemlata Singh noted that the UCC's core function must be the elimination of statutory discrimination, while Geeta Shyam Dalal emphasised that criminal and civil accountability must apply equally regardless of religion, while safeguarding individual cultural freedoms.