West Bengal govt sets up committee to examine draft Uniform Civil Code Bill

Kolkata, Jul 11 (PTI) The West Bengal government has constituted a high-level committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to examine a draft Uniform Civil Code for the state. A government notification issued on Friday said the committee was formed in view of the "wide ramifications and voluminous nature" of the proposed legislation. The panel will undertake a comprehensive examination of the draft Bill before any further steps are taken, it said. The state government said it has prepared the draft Bill with the objective of creating a comprehensive legal framework governing personal civil matters for residents of the state, irrespective of religion, faith or community. The proposed legislation seeks to deal with issues relating to marriage, divorce, intestate succession and testamentary succession, it said. Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (retd.) will chair the committee, the notification stated. Other members include former Meghalaya governor Tathagata Roy, Resident Commissioner Dushyant Nariala, retired IAS officer Shatrughna Singh, Principal Secretary of the Home and Hill Affairs Department Sanghamitra Ghosh, academic Dr Ratna Bhattacharya, former vice-chancellor of Gour Banga University Gopalchandra Misra, advocate Osman Gani Mallick and former executive director Nirmalya Bhattacharyya. The committee has been constituted following a decision taken at the state cabinet meeting held on July 2. "It has been set up for a comprehensive examination and review of the draft Bill in view of the wide ramifications and voluminous nature of the subject," a senior state government official said. Another senior official said the panel would study the draft document in detail and submit its recommendations to the government before any decision on the proposed legislation is taken. The initiative has been taken keeping in view Article 44 of the Constitution, which directs the State to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for citizens, the notification stressed. Since 2014, three states -- Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam -- have adopted UCC, and West Bengal is set to become the fourth. The West Bengal UCC bill aims to standardise civil laws across all communities regarding marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption. The bill is similar to the models in Uttarakhand and Assam in key parameters. The UCC was one of the BJP's key electoral promises in the 2026 assembly polls. The party came to power, ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule in the state. PTI SCH NSD