UCC in India: The draft of the proposed Uniform Civil Code for Uttarakhand is complete and would soon be submitted to the state government, informed Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai informed on Friday. She further said that the recommendations of the committee headed by her will empower women and strengthen the secular fabric of society if implemented.
While speaking to the media persons, Desai, who heads the committee of experts set up by the Uttarakhand government last year, asserted that the idea of a common civil code has received "overwhelming" support.
UCC draft for Uttarakhand complete
She said the panel has drafted the code taking into account all shades of opinions and looking into various statutes and uncodified laws, including the statutory framework in select countries. “It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that the drafting of the proposed Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand is now complete. The report of the expert committee along with the draft will be printed and submitted to the Government of Uttarakhand,” she said.
UCC will soon be implemented
Hours after Desai said that the draft is ready to be submitted to the state government, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the Uniform Civil Code will soon be implemented in Uttarakhand. In a tweet, he said, "As per the promise made to the people of the state, today on June 30, the committee formed to prepare the draft of the Uniform Civil Code has completed its work. Soon #UniformCivilCode will be implemented in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand," Dhami said in the tweet in Hindi.
The Uttarakhand government had constituted the committee under the retired Supreme Court judge in May last year to examine various existing laws regulating personal civil matters of the residents of the state and to prepare draft law or laws or suggest changes in existing laws on such subjects as marriage, divorce, property rights, succession, inheritance, adoption, maintenance, custody, and guardianship.
The Law Commission had also recently made a move on the issue and decided to look at the need for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) afresh, seeking the views of various stakeholders, including members of the public and religious organisations. The UCC is a key plank of the ruling BJP, and some of its state governments have made a push for its implementation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently made a strong pitch for it, igniting speculation that the Centre too is looking to have a law to implement it nationwide.
Also Read: Plan to implement 'one nation, one culture': Kerala CM Vijayan over BJP’s UCC pitch
(With agencies input)
