DEHRADUN: Couples in live-in relationships who attempted to register themselves online soon after the uniform civil code (UCC) was implemented on Monday, claimed that the registration process was “intrusive” despite the govt’s assurances that UCC would not intrude on their privacy.
“The process states that the registrar will record statements of both the parties and is free to summon us at any point. This ends our privacy right there,” said a 20-year-old student, who is in an inter-faith live-in relationship in Doon.
The couple had last year discussed the possibility of leaving Dehradun and moving out after coming to know that it would be mandatory to register their relationship under UCC. However, they are staying put to finish their studies, and are also mulling challenging the provisions of the code in court.
Some couples have decided they were better off moving to another place. Pankhuri, 32 (first name available only), originally from a hill district in Uttarakhand, had lived with her partner in Dehradun for almost three years before the UCC draft came out last year.
“The whole point of moving to Dehradun from my hometown was to stay out of my family’s prying eyes. My partner is okay with the registration …But, if there is a witch hunt and even a remote possibility of my family finding out, then how can we take the risk,” she told TOI.
The couple relocated to Delhi-NCR in November last year. “My partner got a better work opportunity but UCC was a contributing factor as well. It was like a sword hanging over us,” she said.
Many couples are still not sure what exactly defines a “live-in”. In the absence of such clarity — the code does not specify how many months of living together would constitute a “relation”, or if those co-habiting on and off would be required to register. “Some of my friends who are in a relationship stay with each other over the weekend. Would they be required to register? Also, there is the stipulation that couples have to register within a month or else they can be punished with up to three months’ imprisonment. The registrar also has the suo motu power to initiate an inquiry in case they find anything amiss. All of this leaves a lot of room for people to be harassed unnecessarily and for clerical staff to mint money off the provisions,”said Hardeep (only first name available), who has co-founded a LGBTQ support group in Doon.
Potential harassment at govt offices is a concern shared by many live-ins.
“When I inquired about the registration process at the registrar office (before the enforcement), a staff member ended up questioning me on my motives for choosing to be in a live-in, going so far as to tell me that I was ‘too old’ to be in such a relationship,” said Dr Shivani Bhardwaj, a Dehradun resident.
Abhijay Negi, a lawyer practising in Nainital high court, who often takes up liberty issues-related cases, said that there are a few other provisions that have rattled live-in couples.
“UCC states that the registrar has to inform the families in case the partners are under 21 years of age. Why? The age of majority is 18 in our country. This provision has spooked many couples, considering that live-ins among youngsters in the 18-21 age bracket are quite common. Also, the code does not specify live- in relations of the LGBTQ community. They have been left in a limbo and are also scared about the future. These couples exist all around us,” said the lawyer.
