The Uttarakhand Cabinet has approved the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) panel’s draft report in a meeting held at the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s residence on Sunday. The UCC Bill will be tabled in the state assembly on February 6.
Earlier on Friday, the UCC drafting committee, led by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, had submitted the draft report to CM Dhami.
Once passed by the state Assembly, Uttarakhand will become the first Indian state after Independence to adopt the Uniform Civil Code.
The UCC proposes uniform civil laws for all communities in the state. The draft was handed over to the Chief Minister by the five-member committee headed by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.
“We promised our people to bring the UCC in Uttarakhand before the Assembly goes into session. The rollout of the UCC will be in line with a resolution adopted by the BJP,” CM Dhami had said Friday.
Dhami said it was an important day for the people of the state as the UCC will help realise the vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’.
The drafting panel was given a total of four extensions, the latest being 15 days in January this year.
The UCC will provide a legal framework for uniform marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance laws for all citizens, irrespective of their religion.
The passage of the UCC Bill will mark the fulfillment of a major promise made by the BJP to the people of the state in the run-up to the 2022 Assembly polls.
(With inputs from ANI)