Civil Code In Uttarakhand Soon, Says Chief Minister 2 Days After PM Push

Just two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for a Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said today that such a law will be implemented in the state soon.

"Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is going to be implemented soon in Uttarakhand, the law will be the same for all!" the chief minister tweeted in Hindi.

Mr Dhami has spoken on UCC on several occasions and the state had set up a committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, last year to examine ways to implement it.

Experts, however, say it will be a long journey for a Uniform Civil Code to become a central law. Mr Dhami has been saying that the committee is likely to submit its report/draft bill by June 30 and the panel is scheduled to address a press conference tomorrow.

But sources say that the report will take some more time and is likely to be submitted before July 14, the date on which the one-month period of the Law Commission inviting suggestions from the public will end.

The Law Commission had a meeting with members of the Uttarakhand committee on June 2 and while the state committee is making the draft bill, the commission will be making recommendations in a few months. The Uttarakhand Committee has received 2.5 lakh suggestions from around 12% families of the state.

The Uttarakhand draft bill is likely to be tabled before the state assembly during the monsoon session. If the Uttarakhand law comes into force, the Centre will look at it and also take the recommendations of the law commission into consideration.

Only after this happens will a bill be finalised by the legislative department and then placed before the Union cabinet. Once it is cleared by the Cabinet, it will be tabled in Parliament. Sources said this may happen during the Winter Session and it will be up to the government whether it wants to refer the bill to the standing committee or not.

The bill will become law only If both houses of Parliament pass it and it gets the President's assent. In the meantime, other BJP-ruled states are expected to make a law based on the one passed by Uttarakhand.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personal Public Grievances, Law And Justice will discuss UCC on Monday and hear views from representatives of the Law Commission, Department of Legal Affairs and the Legal Department.

Addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Bhopal on Tuesday, PM Modi had said the country couldn't run on two laws, much like it didn't work to have "different set of rules for different members of a family". He had said those who opposed a common law for the country were inciting people for their own interests.

The Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal United and several other parties have accused the BJP of using the issue to get votes ahead of crucial assembly elections this year and the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. The Aam Aadmi Party, however, extended its "in-principle support" to a Uniform Civil Code, but said it should be tabled after extensive consultations with stakeholders.