Uttarakhand Passes Amendments to UCC, Anti-Conversion Laws, and Minority Education Bill

Rapid Summary:

• The Uttarakhand Assembly passed nine Bills during a session held in Gairsain on August 20, 2025, amidst opposition and protests.
• Major Bills included:

– Uniform Civil Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025: Increases punishments for illegal live-in relationships; extends marriage registration timeframe to one year; introduces Registrar-General powers for canceling registrations of marriage or live-in relationships.
– Freedom of Religion and Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion (Amendment) Bill, 2025: Maximum penalty for forced conversions increased to life imprisonment; defines “allurement”; addresses false promises of marriage and hidden religious identities with jail terms and fines.
– Minority Educational Institutions Bill, 2025: Grants minority status benefits to educational institutions from Sikh, Jain, Christian, Parsi, and Buddhist communities while imposing conditions on madrasas seeking recognition by the Education Board. Unrecognized madrasas will be shut down post-July 1, 2026.

• Opposition succeeded in removing the reservation cap of non-minority students from minority-run schools based on a request by Kashipur MLA Trilok Singh Cheema.
• Other Bills cleared included amendments related to temples governance laws, private universities regulations, witness protection repeal law among others.
• Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami presented a supplementary budget amounting ₹5,315.89 crore during the session.

Indian Opinion Analysis:

The passage of these controversial bills showcases significant legislative activity aimed at reshaping societal frameworks within Uttarakhand. The amendments under uniform civil code tighten regulations surrounding personal relationships reflecting heightened focus towards standardization policy arguments addressing mostly yet also necessary clarifications narrowly operational further wedges future tighter contexts supportational directives demographic files connective