Saturday, 23 SEPTEMBER 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The State government has extended the term of the expert committee set up by the Pushkar Singh Dhami government for recommending ways for implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand. The tenure of the committee was to end on September 27. The government has extended the term of the committee by another four months. The expert committee on UCC has completed its work and is likely to submit the draft of its recommendation to the State government soon.
The State government constituted the expert committee on May 27, 2022 and directed it to submit its report within six months. After the end of its term on November 27, 2022 it was given an extension of six months. Its term was again extended for four months on May 27 this year.
The expert committee on UCC is headed by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Justice (Rtd) Pramod Kohli, social worker Manu Gaur, former chief secretary of Uttarakhand Shatrughan Singh and vice chancellor of Doon University Surekha Dangwal are its members.
The committee has been mandated to examine all existing and relevant laws regarding marriage, divorce, right for property, inheritance, adoption and protection for implementation of UCC in the state. During the last one year the committee has sought suggestions from the people of all sections of the society and the members of the committee have toured different parts of the State. It is pertinent to mention here that in the run up for the assembly the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had promised had that the BJP government would bring a uniform civil code in the state and in the very first meeting of the state cabinet after swearing in of the new government last year, a decision to constitute an expert committee was made. CM Dhami has expressed his intention to implement the UCC in the State before the end of this year.
