Last Updated: July 01, 2023, 21:07 IST
Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal), India
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. (File/PTI)
Speaking with News18, Dhami said that the UCC Committee has taken inputs from several people including religion leaders, all stakeholders and over 2 lakh citizens.
The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, adding that a committee formed by the state government has a draft ready regarding it.
Speaking with News18Dhami said that the UCC Committee has taken inputs from several people including religion leaders, all stakeholders and over 2 lakh citizens.
“As soon as we get the report from the committee, we will start our process of implementing it,” Dhami told us.
“Before elections of 2022 we had promised to people of Uttarakhand that we will implement UCC and people gave us a majority,” he added.
“There should be same law for everyone,” Dhami highlighed.
He also requested all states to implement UCC as it will give strength to women and everyone.
Before this, the chief minister took to Twitter and said, “As per the promise made to the people of the state, today on June 30, the committee formed to prepare the draft of the Uniform Civil Code has completed its work. Soon Uniform Civil Code will be implemented in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand.”
This comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a strong push for a UCC, asking how can the country function with dual laws that govern personal matters. The Law Commission had on June 14 invited views from all stakeholders, including people and recognised religious organisations, on the politically sensitive issue.
WHAT IS THE UNIFORM CIVIL CODE?
The UCC refers to a single set of laws that would be applicable to all religious communities in India regarding matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, maintenance, and others. Currently, India has a uniform criminal code that applies to all its citizens, but it does not have a uniform civil law.
The provision for a Uniform Civil Code is mentioned in Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, which is part of the directive principles of state policy. Article 44 states that the state shall strive to establish a Uniform Civil Code for all citizens throughout the territory of India.
The need for a Uniform Civil Code was highlighted in the well-known Shah Bano case in 1985. The Supreme Court of India stated that Article 44 remained a “dead letter,” emphasizing the importance of implementing a uniform civil code in the country.
