Monday, 03 July 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Expressing his opinion on the sensitive issue of Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the chief minister Pushkar Singh said on Sunday that the draft of the expert committee would be studied, legally examined and after that further action would be taken on the issue. He said that the existing customs and practices would not be touched while implementing UCC. Interacting with the media persons in New Delhi the day the CM said that the expert committee constituted by the State government for preparing the draft of the UCC has completed its task. Dhami said that the expert committee has worked for more than a year on the subject and has interacted with all the stakeholders. It has talked with different social groups and all sections of the society and has taken the opinion of 2.35 people in the State.
The CM’s statement assumes significance in the wake of the concern raised by the opposition parties on the implementation of the UCC. The CM Dhami has already made it clear that the UCC would be implemented in Uttarakhand.
In the run up for the assembly elections of 2022, the ruling BJP promised that UCC would be implemented in the State if it comes back to power in the state. Accordingly an expert committee headed by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai was set up on May 27, 2022. The committee was 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. The committee interacted with more than 20,000 people and studied 2.31 lakh suggestions before compiling the draft of UCC. Amid growing debate in the country on UCC, the Dhami government is expected to convene a session of the State assembly to table the UCC bill soon.
