RAIPUR: The BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh government has initiated the process to draft and implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state.
The government has constituted a five-member committee headed by Justice (Retd.) Ranjana Prakash Desai to review the existing legal framework and prepare a roadmap for the UCC.
Justice Desai previously led Uttarakhand's UCC drafting committee, signalling that Chhattisgarh is drawing directly from experienced legal heavyweights.
The committee comprises a mix of retired bureaucrats, legal mind, and civil society representative including Shatrughan Singh (Retd. IAS), M.K. Raut (Retd. IAS), Mohan Pawar (Senior Advocate) and Jyoti Rani Singh (Retd. Principal).
The official notification, issued by Avinash Champawat, Secretary of the General Administration Department, outlines the committee's mandate.
The committee has been authorised to evaluate the existing legal framework governing personal laws in Chhattisgarh, formulate statutory recommendations covering marriage, divorce, alimony, inheritance and adoption, seek feedback from citizens, social organisations, legal experts and other stakeholders, study existing UCC models and legislative frameworks adopted or proposed in other states, and draft the final Uniform Civil Code along with legislative and administrative recommendations for submission to the state government.
This decisive policy shift positions Chhattisgarh right at the forefront of national legal reform, signalling an imminent end to fragmented religious personal laws in favour of a singular, standardised civic framework for all citizens.