BJP-ruled Uttarakhand forms committee to draft UCC; 2nd state after Goa, says Dhami

The BJP-ruled Uttarakhand on Friday (May 27) constituted a five-member committee to draft the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the hill state, said media reports. The UCC refers to a common set of laws governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession, that would apply to all citizens irrespective of their religion, caste and gender.

Talking to media persons, the Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said that they have taken a decision to implement UCC in the state and they will become the “second state after Goa to enforce the Uniform Civil Code to ensure equality in the law to all”. The announcement was however first made through a post on the CM’s official Facebook page.

The Goa Civil Code, which governs the residents of the coastal state irrespective of their religion and ethnicity, has been derived from the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867, which was applicable during the Portuguese rule in the state.

Uttarakhand’s UCC drafting committee

The UCC drafting committee will be chaired by Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Retd). Former Sikkim high court Chief Justice Permod Kohli; former Uttarakhand chief secretary Shatrughna Singh; Doon University vice-chancellor Surekha Dangwal and social activist Manu Gaur will be part of this panel.

This special committee will study the relevant existing personal laws of different communities, and also look into the drafting and implementation of the UCC.

Also read: BJP ruled states bat for uniform civil code now; UP climbs into bandwagon

Implementing the UCC in the hill state is one of the electoral promises made by Dhami on February 12, while campaigning for the assembly polls. After returning to power, the decision to form a committee to draft the UCC was made at the first cabinet meeting on March 24. There is no deadline however given to when the committee has to submit the report.

There has been a lot of debate in favour and against the UCC. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has given its support for the UCC in various judgments, calling it “an unaddressed constitutional expectation” and hoped and expected the State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territories of India.

According to media reports quoting BJP sources, after Uttarakhand, other BJP-ruled states like UP and Himachal Pradesh are expected to follow suit.

Meanwhile, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has called these attempts by various state governments to introduce the UCC in India as “an unconstitutional and anti-minorities move”.