Uttarakhand One Step Closer to UCC: Draft Code Submitted to Chief Minister

A committee appointed by the state government to draft the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) submitted its proposal to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday.

The document was handed over to the chief minister by a five-member committee chaired by retired Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai.

The UCC aims to establish a legal framework for uniform marriage, divorce, land, property, and inheritance laws for all citizens, irrespective of their religion, within the state. If enacted, Uttarakhand would become the first state in the country post-Independence to adopt the UCC. Goa has already implemented it since the days of Portuguese rule.

A special four-day session of the Uttarakhand Assembly has been scheduled from February 5-8 to pass legislation regarding the UCC. The draft will be reviewed in a state Cabinet meeting before being presented as a bill in the Assembly.

The committee was established in May 2022 to draft the UCC. Initially set for a six-month term, it was granted four extensions to thoroughly examine all aspects before finalizing its report.

Throughout the process, the committee received 2.33 lakh written suggestions and conducted 60 meetings, interacting with approximately 60,000 individuals to prepare the draft.