Long-awaited UCC Draft Finally Handed Over to Uttarakhand CM Dhami

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 3rd Feb.  A total of 02 lakh 33 thousand suggestions were received out of about 10,000 submissions.

The implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand has advanced significantly. CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has received the draft report from the UCC expert committee, which was established by the Uttarakhand government. “We’ve been waiting for this draft for a long time, and we finally received it today,”  said State Chief Minister Dhami. He further added, “after the new government is formed, we will draft a Uniform Civil Code law, as we had promised the people of Uttarakhand.” Following review of this draft and completion of all required procedures, the bill will be brought to the Assembly and the draft will be presented. Members of the expert committee established for UCC, led by Ranjana Desai, were present when the draft was moved in by the committee. The committee, chaired by retired Supreme Court Judge Justice Ranjana Desai, consists of social worker Manu Gaur, former Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand Shatrughan Singh, Vice Chancellor of Doon University Prof. Surekha Dangwal, and judge Pramod Kohli of the Delhi High Court.

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UCC will be a significant achievement for the nation

Chief Minister Dhami declared that it is a lucky day for Uttarakhand at a program held at Chief Sevak Sadan following the committee’s submission of the draft. This was the day that the whole nation had long been looking forward to. The government, he claimed, had kept its word and is now working on implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). UCC will criminalize wrongdoing and reprehensible behavior.  In addition, the Chief Minister expressed gratitude to each committee member on behalf of the state’s citizens and government after receiving the committee’s report.

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The committee visited a number of locations to collect data.

Two subcommittees were established on behalf of the five-member committee, according to the Chief Minister. There were 43 locations from Mana village from where the committee members took consultations . In order to collect more and more views, a web portal was also launched. Along with this, 02 lakh 33 thousand people gave their views. 10 percent of people in the state expressed their opinion. There have been 72 meetings thus far. From Delhi, the committee visited different locations and spoke with special individuals to gather information.

The BJP had pledged to implement Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code

It is noteworthy that the Bharatiya Janata Party had promised the state’s citizens to introduce a Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand prior to the Assembly elections in 2022. The vast majority of people applauded this announcement. Consequently, the state saw another formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party government. As promised, the establishment of an expert committee to draft a Uniform Civil Code was decided upon in the first cabinet meeting following the formation of the Pushkar Singh Dhami government. On May 27, 2022, five committees were constituted, with retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai serving as their Chairman.

On August 22, 2022, two subcommittees were established. One subcommittee was tasked with drafting the “Code,” while the other subcommittee sought input from the state’s citizens and initiated public discourse.

All societal segments provided suggestions, and technology was also utilised

People from all sections and all of the state’s districts submitted suggestions to the committee, which launched the public dialogue program from Mana, the nation’s first village. Over this time, 43 public dialogue programs were held, and on June 14, 2023, in New Delhi, a discussion with the migrant Uttarakhandi brothers and sisters concluded the dialogue program. Utilizing technology, the committee solicited recommendations from all societal segments in order to compile its report. To that end, suggestions were solicited via SMS and WhatsApp messages from every state resident in conjunction with the launch of a web portal on September 8, 2022. Through a variety of channels, the committee was provided with two lakh thirty-two thousand nine hundred sixty-one suggestions, which comes out to roughly 10% of the state’s families. In record time, a comprehensive report on the state of Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code was prepared and presented to Chief Minister Dhami on Friday. The committee convened 72 meetings to engage with approximately 10,000 individuals and examine approximately 30,000 suggestions.

Prioritizing the states under its control for the Uniform Civil Code’s implementation is a calculated move by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP can further its agenda in areas where it has political clout by using this strategy. Recognizing the political strategy of the BJP, the strategic emphasis on gender equality, and the gradual passage of laws highlight a deliberate attempt to reform legal frameworks and open the door to national modernization and uniformity. The impending implementation in Uttarakhand could potentially serve as a springboard for a broader national conversation about reconciling disparate personal laws.