West Bengal Forms Panel to Review Uniform Civil Code Draft
Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to head high-level committee on proposed UCC legislation
- West Bengal government constitutes a high-level panel to examine the draft UCC.
- Former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai appointed chairperson.
- Committee to review provisions on marriage, divorce and succession laws.
- Panel will submit recommendations before the government takes a final decision.
GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 11th July: The West Bengal government has constituted a high-level committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to undertake a comprehensive examination of the draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) proposed for the state.
According to a government notification issued on Friday, the committee has been formed in view of the “wide ramifications and voluminous nature” of the proposed legislation and will review the draft Bill before any further action is taken.
The state government said the proposed legislation aims to establish a comprehensive legal framework governing personal civil matters for all residents of West Bengal, irrespective of religion, faith or community.
The draft Bill seeks to bring uniformity in laws relating to marriage, divorce, intestate succession and testamentary succession.
Besides Justice Desai, the committee includes former Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy, Resident Commissioner Dushyant Nariala, retired IAS officer Shatrughna Singh, Principal Secretary of the Home and Hill Affairs Department Sanghamitra Ghosh, academic Dr. Ratna Bhattacharya, former Gour Banga University Vice-Chancellor Gopalchandra Misra, advocate Osman Gani Mallick, and former executive director Nirmalya Bhattacharyya.
The committee was constituted following a decision taken by the state Cabinet on July 2.
A senior government official said the panel would conduct a detailed review of the draft legislation and submit its recommendations before the government takes a final decision.
The notification stated that the initiative has been undertaken in keeping with Article 44 of the Constitution, which directs the State to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for its citizens.
The proposed West Bengal UCC seeks to standardise civil laws relating to marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption across all communities and is broadly modelled on the Uniform Civil Code frameworks adopted in Uttarakhand and Assam.
The UCC was one of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s key electoral promises during the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, after which the party formed the government, ending the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in the state.
