New Delhi: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday said that after the legal review of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) draft which will soon be submitted by the committee, the government will move towards the implementation process.
"It's been more than a year since the UCC Committee has been functioning. They have talked to more than 2 lakh people and listed their views. They have also talked to different organizations from various regions, cultural outfits, and also other stakeholders. Many intellectuals in the society have also given their opinions. The UCC committee has complied with all the comments and opinions in the draft. The Committee informed us on June 30 that they have completed the draft. They will soon submit the final draft. After this, it will be put through for legal review and then we will move towards implementation", CM Dhami said. He further said that under the leadership of PM Modi, India has been moving forward and is being recognized worldwide.
"People like Owaisi push forward Jinnah-type culture. Under the leadership of PM Modi, the country has been moving forward. India is being recognized worldwide", the CM added.
Earlier on June 30, the draft of the proposed Uniform Civil Code for Uttarakhand was complete, and the report of the expert Committee along with the draft code was printed and submitted to the Government of Uttarakhand.
This announcement was made by the Expert Committee, which was appointed last year to work on the Uniform Civil Code.
The report will go to the state Cabinet and it will decide whether to table it in the state legislature, the committee informed.
Uttarakhand UCC said that all due care has been taken in preparing the draft and the aim is to bring equality and dignity across sections. Officials stated that they have received a significant response in favor of the UCC, although some opposing views were also expressed. "We have got an overwhelming response in support of UCC, and some views also came against also, stated the panelists. The committee said that it has painstakingly taken into account all shades of opinions and looked into the various statutes and uncodified laws including the statutory framework in select countries.
The expert panel said that statistical analysis and empirical data were also included in the draft.
It further mentioned that 10 million is the total population of Uttarakhand. We got more than 2.31 lakh in written suggestions. It is a good sample size that has been considered.
Besides the Committee has tried to understand the finer nuances of the various customary practices that prevail in different parts of the State.
The committee stated that it has also interacted with the representatives of political parties, state statutory commissions as well as with leaders of various religious denominations.
Doctors and experts have also been consulted, issues such as the age of marriage, and age of consent issues have been considered. Issues such as Live-in, LGBT, and child marriages all have been discussed.
The Chairperson of the Law Commission of India had requested interaction with the members of the Expert Committee. This interaction was held on June 2, 2023, wherein members as well as chairpersons of both the Law Commission and the Expert Committee were present. The Uttarakhand government last year had formed a five-member committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to prepare a draft on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. Chairman (retired Supreme Court Justice) Ranjana Prakash Desai is a former judge of the Supreme Court. —ANI
