New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Chhattisgarh government has officially initiated the process to introduce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state by constituting a high-level drafting committee. Retired Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai has been appointed as the Chairperson of the panel. The strategic move positions Chhattisgarh alongside other BJP-governed states that are actively pursuing a unified legal framework for personal laws, shifting away from distinct community-based regulations.
The newly formed committee boasts a diverse panel of administrative, legal, and social experts. Joining Justice Desai are retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers Shyamdhar Singh and M.K. Raut, senior advocate Mohan Pawar, and prominent member Jyoti Rani Singh. This panel has been tasked with evaluating the state’s existing legal infrastructure concerning sensitive personal matters, including marriage, divorce, alimony and maintenance, property inheritance, and adoption.
A core component of the committee’s mandate involves extensive public and institutional consultation. The panel is directed to actively solicit feedback, concerns, and suggestions from ordinary citizens, social welfare organizations, legal scholars, and various community stakeholders across Chhattisgarh before finalizing any legislative blueprint. Additionally, the members will conduct a comparative analysis of UCC models and legislative frameworks adopted or proposed by other states to ensure the final recommendations are comprehensive and legally robust.
The appointment of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai brings significant institutional experience to the project. Notably, Desai previously headed the UCC drafting panel in Uttarakhand, which became the first state in independent India to pass a Uniform Civil Code bill into law. By leveraging her prior experience in navigating the complex cultural and legal nuances of unified personal laws, the Chhattisgarh government aims to streamline its own legislative drafting process and deliver its final recommendations to the state executive in a time-bound manner.
