Shillong, February 2: In a significant development, the committee appointed to craft a draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is set to present the document to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Dehradun on Friday, India Today reported.
The panel, led by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, will deliver the UCC draft to Dhami at his official residence at 11 am, prompting heightened security measures around the premises.
A dedicated four-day session of the Uttarakhand assembly has been scheduled from February 5 to 8 to facilitate the passage of UCC legislation. Following the submission of the UCC draft, the state government intends to secure approval during a cabinet meeting on Saturday, with plans to introduce the draft as a bill in the House on February 6.
If enacted, Uttarakhand is poised to become the first state in the country, post-Independence, to embrace the UCC. Chief Minister Dhami expressed the significance of the day in a a post on X, highlighting how the UCC aligns with the vision of Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat.
The committee, established in May 2022 and chaired by Justice Desai, includes retired justice Pramod Kohli, social activist Manu Gaur, former Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Shatrughan Singh, and Doon University Vice Chancellor Surekha Dangwal. Despite facing four extensions, the latest being 15 days in January, the UCC drafting panel remains committed to its task.
The UCC, once implemented, will establish a comprehensive legal framework encompassing marriage, divorce, land, property, and inheritance laws applicable to all citizens, transcending religious affiliations.