Guwahati : Ramkrishna Ghosh, a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA representing Hojai in Assam, expressed his gratitude to the Uttarakhand government for the initiation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state, emphasizing that such a measure should have been implemented earlier.
The UCC is scheduled to be presented by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami during the ongoing Assembly session at Vidhan Bhavan, Dehradun, with the BJP MLA welcoming the move and acknowledging the significance of its introduction.
"I want to thank the government for implementing the UCC. This should have happened earlier, but I appreciate that it is happening now," stated Ghosh, whose constituency has a significant Muslim population.
The drafting of the Uniform Civil Code Bill involved an extensive process, as shared by Chief Minister Dhami, who presented a graphic detailing 72 meetings conducted by a five-member committee. The committee, led by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, also organized 43 public outreach programs and received 2.32 lakh suggestions from the public.
The UCC aims to establish uniform civil laws for all communities within the state, covering aspects such as marriage, divorce, land, property, and inheritance. The draft report, comprising 740 pages and four volumes, was handed over to Chief Minister Dhami by the committee, which included retired justice Pramod Kohli, social activist Manu Gaur, former Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Shatrughan Singh, and Doon University Vice Chancellor Surekha Dangwal.
The UCC, once passed, will provide a legal framework for uniform civil laws applicable to all citizens, irrespective of their religious affiliations. This development fulfills a significant promise made by the BJP during the 2022 Assembly polls in Uttarakhand.
Chief Minister Dhami highlighted the extensive public involvement in the drafting process, with 2,33,000 people providing suggestions. The committee reached out to various regions, including the last village of India, to gather opinions and insights.
"In March 2022, during our second term, the Dhami government decided to constitute a committee to prepare a draft for the UCC, and today we are witnessing the fruition of that initiative," Chief Minister Dhami remarked.
—Input from Agencies