Uttarakhand govt to pass UCC bill in special assembly session

The Uttarakhand government is expected to pass the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill on February 5 and has therefore convened a special one-day session in the state Assembly to discuss the bill.

The five-member committee, led by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, is expected to hand over its report to the government on February 2, Indian Express reported. The committee was set up by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami-led state government in May 2022.

The development came after Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday announced that the five-member committee formed for the Uniform Civil Code has completed the draft.

“As soon as we get the draft, we will call a session of the Assembly and implement the Uniform Civil Code throughout the state,” Dhami said while addressing the Namo Nav Matdata Sammelan (New Voters Conference) in Roorkee.

“Whereas Honourable Governor, Uttarakhand had summoned the Fifth Vidhan Sabha of Uttarakhand to meet for the second session of the year 2023 at 11 AM on Tuesday, the 05th September 2023, in the Sabha Mandap, Vidhan Sabha Bhawan, Dehradun and which as adjourned sine die on 08th September 2023 in continuation there of the Honourable Speaker of Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly again summoned the House from Monday, 5 February, 2024 at 11 am in the Sabha Mandal, Vidhan Sabha, Dehradun,” a statement issued by the Uttarakhand Assembly Secretariat stated on Friday.

According to details shared by Indian Express, the report submitted by the committee suggests gender equality and equal rights for daughters in ancestral properties. The committee’s document reportedly does not suggest raising the marriageable age of women to 21 years and has recommended retaining the marriageable age for women at 18 years.

BJP-ruled Gujarat and Assam are also in the line to pass UCC in their respective states. However, the two states are currently in the process of the formation of the bill.