Do we live in a free country—or a moral dictatorship?
The Uttarakhand government, under its newly passed Uniform Civil Code (UCC), has declared that every couple in a live-in relationship must register their union with the state within 30 days.

Failing to comply?
A fine of ₹10,000 or jail time for up to three months.

This is not legislation. This is surveillance disguised as law.
It’s not protection. It’s punishment for choosing autonomy over institution.

 
This law is unconstitutional. Unjust. And un-Indian.
It violates the very pillars our democracy stands on:

 
1. Right to Equality (Article 14):

• Married couples face no criminal penalty for not registering their relationship.
• But unmarried live-in partners are punished—simply for living life on their own terms.
• That’s not equality. That’s bias under the cover of law.

2. Right to Freedom (Article 19):
• Freedom of Speech & Expression:
Choosing who to live with is a form of personal expression. It’s not up for state scrutiny.

• Freedom from Arbitrary Arrest:
Punishing adults for not registering a consensual private relationship is the very definition of arbitrary detention.

 
3. Right to Life & Personal Liberty (Article 21):

• The Supreme Court has ruled that privacy is a fundamental right.
• This law forces citizens to report intimate, personal decisions to the government, robbing them of dignity and liberty.

4. Right Against Exploitation (Article 23):

• Laws that expose individuals—especially women and LGBTQ+ persons—to housing discrimination, police harassment, and societal shame, are not “protective.”
• They are exploitative. And they violate human dignity.

This isn’t about theory. It’s about real lives.
In every city, thousands of people—students, professionals, divorced women, same-sex couples—choose to live in partnerships outside of marriage. Not to rebel, but to live freely, consciously, and with integrity.

And yet, they now face:

• Landlords refusing them homes unless they show “registration papers.”
• Harassment from neighbors and police, emboldened by the law.
• Mental distress, social isolation, and the constant pressure to conform to patriarchal norms.

We’re not against marriage. We’re against coercion.
Marriage is a right—not an obligation.
Freedom is a birthright—not a reward for obedience.

If we don’t act now, this law will become a template. One state at a time, our private lives will be coded into rulebooks written by moral majorities.

 
What We Demand:

• Immediate repeal of the provision mandating registration of live-in relationships in Uttarakhand.
• Withdrawal of all criminal penalties tied to non-registration.
• Legal recognition and protection of consensual adult partnerships, with or without marriage.
• Sensitization measures, not criminal ones—for landlords, officials, and the public.
   

This petition is more than a plea.
It’s a declaration: We will not be governed by shame.

We will not hand over our freedom to a clipboard and a stamp.

Sign this petition if you believe that freedom is not a crime.
That forced morality is not governance.
That your life belongs to you—not the State.