A draft for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand was submitted to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday by the committee led by retired judge Ranjana Prakash Desai. Dhami, during a programme at the 'Mukhya Sevak Sadan' in the Chief Minister Camp Office, stated that the commitment made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the Legislative Assembly elections in 2022 to implement a Uniform Civil Code in the state has been fulfilled.
Former Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court Pramod Kohli, former Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand Shatrughan Singh, Vice Chancellor of Doon University Surekha Dangwal and social worker Manu Gaur were included in the committee.
Two sub-committees were formed
The committee formed under the leadership of retired judge Ranjana Prakash Desai established two sub-committees. One subcommittee focused on preparing the draft of the "Code," while the second sub-committee's responsibility was to solicit suggestions from the residents of the state and facilitate dialogues.
The public dialogue initiative commenced in Mana, the country's first village, and extended to cover all districts of Uttarakhand. Over a span of 43 public dialogue programmes, input was gathered from diverse sections of the population. The dialogue series concluded with discussions with migrant Uttarakhandi individuals on June 14, 2023, in New Delhi.
Highlighting the committee's proactive approach, the Chief Minister mentioned the launch of a web portal on September 8, 2022, inviting suggestions for the report. Additionally, people of the state were encouraged to contribute their thoughts through SMS and WhatsApp messages, ensuring a comprehensive engagement with various sections of society.
Committee received huge number of suggestions
The committee received two lakh thirty-two thousand nine hundred sixty-one (2,32,961) suggestions through various mediums which is equal to about 10 per cent of the families in the state. After receiving the report from the committee, Chief Minister Dhami, on behalf of the people of the state and the state government, thanked all the learned members of the committee and hoped that this contribution of the committee members would be a boon not only for the state but for the entire country.
Govt to place bill in special session of Assembly
The Chief Minister said that after studying and examining this report, the government will prepare a draft of the Uniform Civil Code law for the state as soon as possible and place the related bill in the special session of the upcoming Legislative Assembly. Article 44 of the Constitution of India says that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) throughout the territory of India.
What is UCC?
The UCC proposes a common set of laws dealing with marriage, inheritance, adoption, and other matters. The UCC, which had been a hot topic that had polarised opinions over the last four years, hit the forefront in June last year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong case for the implementation of uniform legislation in an address in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal.
(With inputs from ANI)
