By DP Bhattacharya
After Uttarakhand, BJP-ruled Gujarat is now on its way to get the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday announced a five-member committee under retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai to study the matter and draft the Code.
The committee will submit its report in 45 days, Patel said. “Basing on the report submitted by the committee, the state government will take an appropriate decision,” he said.
The other four members of the committee are retired bureaucrat CL Meena, senior advocate RC Kodekar, former vice chancellor of Veer Narmad South Gujarat University Dakshesh Thakar and social activist Geeta Shroff.
Gujarat minister of state for home affairs Harsh Sanghavi said the UCC will fully protect the rights of the tribal and said Uttarakhand’s UCC has presented a model before the country and that it fully protects the traditions and customs of the tribal population.
The UCC is expected to create a single set of laws for marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance for all Indian citizens, regardless of religion. Article 44 of the Indian Constitution encourages the state to work towards implementing a Common Civil Code to promote justice and national integration.
This story was originally published in economictimes.com. Read the full story here.
