The expert committee assigned the task of formulating a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand has successfully completed its draft and submitted the report to the state government.
Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai, who heads the committee, announced the milestone and expressed satisfaction with the comprehensive nature of the proposed code. The draft includes provisions that aim to promote gender equality and address economic, social, and religious inequalities.
The committee's efforts are expected to serve as a blueprint for the Union government in drafting its own UCC bill, which ruling party members hope to introduce during the winter session of Parliament. The draft Uttarakhand Bill places a strong emphasis on gender equality and proposes equal rights for daughters and sons in terms of property inheritance, duties towards parents, and grounds for adoption and divorce, regardless of religious affiliations. It also introduces the requirement of a mandatory declaration to initiate and terminate live-in relationships to prevent deception.
The recommendations of the expert committee include a two-child norm for government jobs, welfare schemes, and government contracts. However, the final decision on whether to include this provision in the draft Bill is yet to be made. The committee drew inspiration from a Private Member's Bill introduced by BJP MP and current Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan in 2018, which received support from 125 MPs.
In response to demands from Muslim women, the draft Bill rejects practices such as polygamy, iddat, and halala. However, the committee awaits the Supreme Court's verdict on same-sex marriage before finalizing provisions related to the LGBTQIA+ community. Unlike the Law Commission of India, which advises the government on legal reforms, the Uttarakhand expert committee has the authority to oversee the implementation of the UCC within the state.
To ensure a comprehensive consultation process, the committee sought views from various communities, social organizations, statutory commissions, and 10 political parties that contested the 2022 state elections. The extensive public interactions conducted by the committee involved around 2.5 lakh people and revealed a consensus on population control, banning polygamy, raising the marriage age of girls to 21, equal property rights, and the declaration of live-in relationships.
The success of the Uttarakhand committee's work has inspired the ruling BJP and the Central government to consider it as a template for the national UCC. However, concerns raised by tribal groups across the country have not been addressed by the committee. The Law Commission will study the concerns expressed by these tribal communities, as Uttarakhand only has scheduled areas with tribes predominantly following the Hindu religion.
The parliamentary standing committee, headed by BJP's Sushil Kumar Modi, has scheduled a meeting on July 3 to hear the views of relevant departments and the Law Commission of India on the UCC. The committee's move to seek public input on the UCC within 30 days has initiated a nationwide debate, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting the importance of a Uniform Civil Code and opposition leaders accusing him of using the issue for political gains. The Modi government is contemplating introducing a UCC bill during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, further elevating the significance of the committee's work.
Picture Source :
