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Uttarakhand panel on UCC holds first meeting in Delhi
The meeting was held at Uttarakhand Sadan in the national capital under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai.
A five-member committee formed to implement Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand met for the first time in New Delhi on Monday.
The meeting was held at Uttarakhand Sadan in the national capital under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai.
“This was our first UCC meeting. All committee members attended this meeting. After one week, most probably, a second meeting will be held. July 14 and 15 is the tentative date for the second meeting,” Justice (retired) Desai told reporters after the meeting. “It was a preliminary meeting. The next meeting will be more important.”
The Uttarakhand government on May 27 constituted a five-member committee led by Justice (retired) Desai, to prepare a draft proposal for the implementation of the UCC in Uttarakhand. The committee has to submit its draft report to the state government within six months.
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The committee also includes Pramod Kohli, retired judge, Delhi high court, Manu Gaur, social activist, Shatrughan Singh, retired IAS officer, and Surekha Dangwal, vice-chancellor of Doon University.
Ahead of the assembly elections in the hill state earlier this year, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on February 12 announced that UCC implementation would be the first decision after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forms the government in Uttarakhand.
In the first cabinet meeting on March 24 after the BJP returned to power in Uttarakhand, the state government passed a proposal to implement UCC in the state.
Dhami cited Article 44 of the Constitution of India while forming the expert committee. “It is being done to provide uniformity (in law) to all religious communities and to preserve the culture of Devbhoomi, the land of gods, as had been promised in our Sankalp Patra (manifesto) at the time of elections,” Dhami had said.
Article 44, part of the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Indian Constitution states: “The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.”
“We will bring UCC for the people irrespective of them being from any religion and section of the society,” Dhami had said. “…Goa is an example before us. Supreme Court has also from time to time stressed that it needs to be implemented by the governments and has even expressed its displeasure over the same.”
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Uttarakhand has 13.9% Muslim population, mostly in Terai area, according to 2011 census. Haridwar and US Nagar districts have over 34% and 22% Muslim population, respectively.
A debate over the UCC has sparked in several states, with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently also backing it while saying that the UCC should be implemented in the greater interest of Muslim women otherwise polygamy would continue.
Uttarakhand Congress general secretary Mathura Dutt Joshi said it is unfortunate that the BJP government instead of focusing on pressing issues like creating employment avenues in the state, and reviving the economy of the state, is focusing on issues like implementation of UCC. “This shows what their priority is,” he said on Monday. “The unemployed youth of the state and other pressing issues which the state is facing is not on their priority list. It is very unfortunate.”
Brushing aside Joshi’s allegations, Devendra Bhasin, BJP state vice-president, said the Congress has a habit of criticising every initiative of the state government. “Congress is mixing up things. The state government is working on creating employment avenues for the youth. At the same time, the BJP government is also fulfilling the promises it made to the people including the implementation of the UCC. Why should Congress have a problem with this,” he added.
