Uttarakhand: Uniform Civil Code Panel Tenure Extended By 4 Months

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India]: The tenure of the experts committee preparing the draft of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for Uttarakhand has been extended by a period of four months.

“The Uttarakhand government has extended the tenure of the expert committee headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai for the Uniform Civil Code by four months,” read a statement by the Chief Minister’s office.

The panel was constituted on May 27, 2022 and this is the third time that an extension is given to the committee whose tenure was scheduled to end on September 27.

After receiving public suggestions, the committee has done the work of preparing a draft but the report has not been submitted to the government yet, the statement added.

The expert committee had sent a proposal to the government to extend the tenure by four months. After the approval of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Additional Secretary (Home) Radha Raturi has issued orders to extend the tenure of the committee by four months, read the statement by the Chief Minister’s office.

Earlier in August, Chief Minister Dhami said that the UCC would be implemented in the state soon after a draft for the same is ready.

“It is our resolution to bring the Uniform Civil Code as soon as possible. When we get the UCC draft, we will take this process forward this year. We will move ahead to implement it,” Dhami told media.

The UCC was promised to the people of the state in the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls.
“We were re-elected with a massive mandate, breaking the convention of incumbent governments losing the polls. After forming the government, we set up a committee to draft the UCC,” Dhami said.

He claimed that Uttarakhand would emerge as a shining example before the whole country with regard to the implementation of the UCC.

Article 44 of the Constitution of India says that the State shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) throughout the territory of India.  The UCC proposes a common set of laws dealing with marriage, inheritance, adoption, and other matters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also made a strong case for the implementation of the UCC at a recent public meeting and several leaders in the opposition have also voiced opposition to the proposed legislation.

With regard to a reference sent by the Ministry of Law and Justice on June 17, 2016, the 22nd Law Commission of India examined the subject matter of the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC).