Purmina Bisht | Dehradun
Dehradun is witnessing a steady rise in live-in relationship registrations under the newly implemented Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand, with most applicants falling between the ages of 21 and 25. The officials informed that 11 people have applied for live-in relationship registrations in the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) and claimed that nearly half of these applicants are from outside the State. This indicates a growing trend among young couples to formalise their relationships under the new legal framework.
Besides this, some married individuals have also reportedly attempted to register their live-in relationships with different partners, leading to rejections. A senior official from MCD revealed that a 62-year-old man applied to register his live-in relationship with a 40-year-old woman in the city, only for officials to discover that he was already married. “His passport, which he submitted as proof of identity, listed his wife’s name, making him ineligible under the UCC. His application was subsequently rejected, as the law does not permit married individuals to enter into a live-in relationship,” he said. Since the UCC came into effect on January 27 in Uttarakhand, the MCD has received 1,651 applications for various services, out of which 1,453 have been approved and 80 rejected, with the remaining under review.
The officials said that among these, 11 applications were for live-in relationship registration, six of which have been approved, while four are pending for clarifications and one has been rejected. Officials have also flagged marriage registration applications in which the applicants appear to be minors based on the birthdates they have provided. These cases are currently under scrutiny, with officials seeking further clarifications before making a final decision. The officials said that the rejection of applications is primarily due to applicants submitting incorrect documents or providing personal details that do not match their official records.
If applicants fail to respond to clarification requests within the given timeframe, their applications are cancelled and they will have to reapply. Besides this, multiple applications for the same service are also being rejected to streamline the process. The officials informed that currently, 10 sub-registrars are working at the MCD to handle the influx of applications under the UCC. As of now, a total of 13 live-in relationships and 16,771 marriages have been registered under the new legal provisions in Uttarakhand. The officials stated that the implementation of the UCC has provided a formalised framework for live-in relationships and its registrations are expected to increase in Dehradun with time.
