Raipur, Jun 25 (PTI) The BJP government in Chhattisgarh on Thursday constituted a five-member committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to prepare a draft for implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai’s office shared a notification in this regard on social media platform ‘X’ and said the state government has formed a committee to prepare a framework for the UCC and its implementation.
According to the notification, the panel will be headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, who helms a similar committee in adjoining BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh too.
The panel’s other members are retired IAS officers Shatrughan Singh and MK Raut, senior advocate Mohan Pawar and former principal Jyoti Rani Singh.
The committee has been tasked with studying the existing legal framework relating to the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code in Chhattisgarh and making recommendations on issues such as marriage, divorce, maintenance, inheritance, adoption and related matters.
The panel will seek suggestions from citizens, social organisations, legal experts and other stakeholders, besides studying UCC-related arrangements in other states, said the notification.
The panel will prepare a draft of the proposed UCC and submit it to the state government along with necessary legislative and administrative recommendations, it said.
On April 15, the Chhattisgarh cabinet decided to constitute a high-level committee headed by a retired judge to prepare a draft UCC for the state.
Then the government had said the move was aimed at simplifying laws and promoting religious and gender equality. It had said that the existence of multiple personal laws creates inequality in legal processes and makes the justice delivery system more complex.
The opposition Congress had then criticised the proposal, describing it as a threat to tribal rights and claiming adivasi communities would be the worst affected by its implementation. PTI TKP RSY
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.