Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government had formed a panel – led by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai – to prepare a draft for the UCC in 2022.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government is set to table the Uniform Civil Code Uttarakhand 2024 Bill (UCC) in the state’s legislative assembly on Tuesday. This bill is being tabled during the ongoing four-day special assembly session that began on Monday.
At the time the Constitution was being framed, there was a 150-year-long history of communities being governed by their personal laws. Realising that the overhaul of such structures was impossible in one go, the framers of the Constitution left UCC as an aspirational goal (Shutterstock)
Earlier on Sunday, the Uttarakhand Cabinet approved the final draft of the UCC which proposes uniform civil laws for all communities in the state. Once the Bill has sailed through the assembly, it will be sent to the governor. Once the governor approves it, it will become a law. The passage of this bill will mark the fulfillment of a major promise made by the BJP in its 2022 assembly election manifesto.
A Uniform Civil Code is conceptualised as a set of laws that govern personal matters, including marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession, for all citizens regardless of religion. The UCC aims to replace the existing diverse personal laws that vary based on religious affiliations.
The Uttarakhand government had formed a panel – led by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai – to prepare a draft for the UCC in 2022. The panel comprising retired justice Pramod Kohli, social activist Manu Gaur, former Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Shatrughan Singh, and Vice Chancellor of Doon University, Surekha Dangwal prepared a draft report of over 740 pages and has four volumes.
To prepare the report, the panel collected lakhs of feedback, written and online, held several public forums and 43 public outreach programs, and engaged with over 60,000 people. According to CM Dhami, the UCC Bill is an outcome of public dialogue, deliberation, and suggestions.
Reportedly, the UCC Uttarakhand 2024 Bill includes recommendations such as a complete ban on polygamy and child marriage. According to a report by India Today, some of the key features of the Bill include – equal property rights for sons and daughters, elimination of the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, equal property rights after death, and inclusion of adopted and biological children.
