The Chhattisgarh cabinet on Wednesday decided to constitute a committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai to prepare a report for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the state government said in a statement.
Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who chaired the cabinet meeting that decided to appoint the committee, has been authorised to nominate the panel members, it said.
The government said issues such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, maintenance and family disputes in the state were currently governed by different personal laws based on religion.
The existence of multiple personal laws leads to inequality in legal processes and makes the justice system more complex, it said, noting that Article 44 of the Constitution of India also advocated working towards implementing a Uniform Civil Code for all citizens.
The committee will seek suggestions from citizens, organisations and experts, and may also invite feedback through a web portal. Based on its recommendations, a draft will be prepared and placed before the cabinet for approval, which will be introduced in the state assembly.
UCC is a contentious and polarising issue, referring to a common set of laws for personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and succession for all. Constitution’s Article 44, one of the directive principles of state policy, advocates UCC. But respective religion-based civil codes have governed personal matters since Independence.
{{/usCountry}}UCC is a contentious and polarising issue, referring to a common set of laws for personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and succession for all. Constitution’s Article 44, one of the directive principles of state policy, advocates UCC. But respective religion-based civil codes have governed personal matters since Independence.
{{/usCountry}}In February 2024, Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to pass a UCC law. Gujarat followed suit last month. Last week, neighbouring Madhya Pradesh also announced that it would set up a committee to recommend its next steps for UCC.
A pan-India UCC is the BJP’s third unfulfilled ideological promise. The construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status under the Constitution’s Article 370, the other two major ideological goals, have been achieved since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.
Justice Desai, who will head the Chhattisgarh committee, has previously headed panels that drafted the UCC laws in Uttarakhand and Gujarat as well.