Dhami government’s campaign to implement Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand will take concrete form on the ground next month. The expert committee formed to draft the code can submit this draft to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on February 2. In order to legalize it, the government has called a session of the Assembly from February 5 to 8. In the same session, preparations are underway to table this draft bill in the House and get it passed. After its passage, Uttarakhand will become the first state in the country to implement Uniform Civil Code. Uttarakhand, bordering China and Nepal, not only has strategic importance, this state is also important from the point of view of pilgrimage due to many religious places including Chardham. In view of this, the Dhami government decided to implement the Common Civil Code here and it is among the top priority of the government.
Before the 2022 assembly elections, Chief Minister Dhami promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code and the public also approved it in a way. Chief Minister Dhami also approved the proposal of constituting an expert committee to decide its format in his very first cabinet meeting after assuming power again.
Draft Uniform Civil Code
In this series, on May 27, 2022, an expert committee was formed under the chairmanship of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Seni), in which four members were included. Later the member secretary was also included in it. During the tenure of about 20 months of the Expert Committee, more than 75 meetings have been held so far and the committee has received more than 2.35 lakh suggestions. The committee met representatives of all religions, communities and tribes of the state through meetings and visited different parts of the state and took suggestions from local residents. Also, along with all the political parties of the state, he also interacted with the migrant people of Uttarakhand in New Delhi on this subject. Before completing the draft, the committee held several rounds of meetings with Chief Minister Dhami.
The draft is more than five hundred pages long
Now the committee has completed its work. It is believed that this draft is more than five hundred pages long. Its Hindi translation has also been done. Now the committee can hand it over to the Chief Minister on February 2. After approval from the Cabinet, it will be tabled in the Assembly. Keeping this in view, the government has called a session of the Assembly.
Main points of the draft
Advocacy of giving equal rights to followers of all religions
-Ban on live in relationship
-Women have equal rights in ancestral and husband’s property
-Women’s participation in succession
-Divorce should be done as per law
– Provision of strict rules for adoption
-Compliance with local and tribal traditions and customs
-Personal freedom should be given special importance
The draft of the bill will be prepared in two to three days
According to the government spokesperson, the draft of the Uniform Civil Code bill will be prepared within two to three days of receiving the report from the expert committee. Anyway, the assembly session has been called from February 5 to 8. In such a situation, there will be enough time to prepare the draft of the bill.
