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Indian cohabiting couples slam new state law requiring ‘inquiry’, fear abuse by nosy neighbours
- Critics claim the law in India’s Uttarakhand is part of the ruling BJP’s attempts to push its Hindu majoritarian agenda
- Live-in relationships are becoming more common in India as dating couples relocate for better job opportunities
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Atreya and Madhu are among couples in India’s Uttarakhand who have been alarmed by a law that will regulate the personal lives of not just those who are married but people who cohabit.
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The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) of Uttarakhand 2024, passed on February 7, will replace religion-based personal laws governing marriage, divorce and succession with a common set of laws applicable to all.
The couple, who used pseudonyms for fear of being identified, said the legislation felt like an attack on the private spaces of couples.
Atreya and Madhu also feared landlords could refuse to rent a house to a live-in couple on grounds such as “fraud” or “misrepresentation” after an “inquiry” by the relevant authorities.
“Another thing we fear is that in strict families where there is opposition, especially in the case of interfaith and inter-caste marriages, this law can be weaponised, as the complaint can be lodged by even vigilante neighbours,” they said.
Critics claim the law is part of the ruling BJP’s attempts to push its Hindu majoritarian agenda. But what many did not anticipate is the code’s strictures on live-in relationships.
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