Chhattisgarh cabinet forms panel for drafting UCC to 'simplify laws and promote religious equality'

The decision was taken during a meeting of the cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai at Mantralaya Mahanadi Bhawan.

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh cabinet on Wednesday decided to constitute a high-level committee, headed by a retired judge, to prepare a draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for its implementation in the state with the aim of "simplifying laws to promote religious and gender equality".

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. (PTI)

The decision was taken during a meeting of the cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai at Mantralaya Mahanadi Bhawan, an official statement said.

The panel will be headed by retired judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, while the chief minister has been authorised to nominate the members of the committee, it said.

At present, matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, maintenance and family disputes in Chhattisgarh are governed by different personal laws based on religion. The Article 44 of the Constitution directs the state to work towards implementing a Uniform Civil Code for all citizens, it said.

The existence of multiple personal laws creates inequality in legal processes and makes the justice system more complex. The proposed UCC is aimed at simplifying laws to promote religious and gender equality, it said.

The BJP government in Uttarakhand has formally implemented the UCC in January 2025, becoming the first state in the country to do so. The Gujarat assembly last month passed the UCC Bill, 2026.