The government of Uttarakhand, led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, announced the formation of a drafting committee to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state on Friday. The committee will be chaired by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai, and members will include ex-state chief secretaries Shatrughan Singh, Manu Gaud, and Surekha Dangwal.
“We had taken an oath before the elections to establish a Uniform Civil Code. We passed it unanimously during our first meeting following the elections. We’ll get a draught from the committee soon, and we’ll put it into action right away,” said CM Pushkar Singh Dhami
Earlier today, Dhami confirmed the state government has taken a decision to implement the UCC in the state. “We have taken a decision to implement the Uniform Civil Code in the state. Uttarakhand will be the second state after Goa to implement this,” he said.
“We will bring UCC for the people irrespective of them being from any religion and section of the society,” Dhami assured during his address in Champawat.
Earlier on May 2, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur also
announced that the UCC will soon be brought into the state. A debate is going on over the UCC in several states of the country.
Recently Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma also backed it by saying that the UCC should be implemented in the greater interest of Muslim women; otherwise, polygamy would continue.
Meanwhile, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) termed it ‘an unconstitutional and anti-minorities move’, and called the rhetoric for bringing the law an attempt by Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Central governments to divert the attention from the concerns of inflation, economy, and rising unemployment. Notably, in Bharatiya Janata Party’s 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto, BJP promised the implementation of UCC. (ANI)
