Archive · 5 Sep 2026
Uttarakhand Waqf Board Plans Major UCC-Aligned Nikahnama Changes
The Uttarakhand Waqf Board wants to change a Muslim marriage document called a nikahnama.
The changes would make the document follow Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code.
One proposal would give daughters an equal share of their father’s property, even after they get married.
The article says this differs from the described Sharia inheritance rule.
Under that rule, a daughter generally receives half the share of a son when they inherit together.
The new document would also remove spaces for second and third marriages.
This is because the UCC does not allow a Muslim man to have more than one marriage.
The proposal was announced by Board chairman Shadab Shams.
The Uttarakhand Waqf Board is preparing a revised nikahnama to align with the Uniform Civil Code.
Chairman Shadab Shams proposed that married daughters retain an equal share in their father’s property.
The proposal differs from the stated Sharia-based inheritance rule that daughters generally receive half a son’s share when inheriting together.
The revised nikahnama would remove columns for second and third marriages.
The change follows the introduction of the UCC in Uttarakhand around one-and-a-half years ago.
- Who
- The Uttarakhand Waqf Board and its chairman, Shadab Shams.
- What
- The Board is preparing a revised nikahnama with equal inheritance rights for married daughters and no multiple-marriage columns.
- When
- Around one-and-a-half years after the Uniform Civil Code was introduced in Uttarakhand.
- Where
- Uttarakhand, India.
- Why
- To align the nikahnama with the provisions of the Uniform Civil Code.
Proposed UCC Approach
Existing Sharia Framework
Inheritance after marriage
Proposed UCC Approach
The proposed nikahnama would state that a daughter remains an equal stakeholder in her father’s property after marriage.
Existing Sharia Framework
The article says Sharia law generally gives a daughter half a son’s share when they inherit together.
Multiple marriages
Proposed UCC Approach
The UCC-based document would remove columns for second and third marriages because a Muslim man cannot have more than one marriage under the UCC.
Existing Sharia Framework
The existing nikahnama contains columns for first, second and third marriages.
- Institution
- Uttarakhand Waqf Board
- Chairman
- Shadab Shams
- Document being revised
- Nikahnama
- Inheritance proposal
- A daughter would remain an equal stakeholder in her father’s property after marriage.
- Marriage provision
- The revised document would remove columns for second and third marriages.
- Legal framework
- The revision is intended to align with Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code.