DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday approved the constitution of a committee to implement a uniform civil code in Uttarakhand.
The decision was taken in the first cabinet meeting of Dhami 2.0 after taking oath on Wednesday.
"I am happy to inform all of you that the state cabinet has unanimously approved the constitution of a committee of experts. The committee will be formed at the earliest and uniform civil code will be implemented in the state soon," said CM Pushkar Singh Dhami after a cabinet meeting.
"It will be a significant step towards fulfilling the dreams of the nation's founding fathers who framed our Constitution. The step will be an effective one towards Article 44 of the Indian Constitution which presents the concept of equitable law for all citizens of society regardless of their religion," added Dhami.
Dhami further mentioning that from time to time, the Supreme Court has underscored the BJP government in Uttarakhand will derive inspiration for the decision from Goa which has set an example before the country by implementing a common civil code.
Earlier this year in February, Dhami had announced that if the BJP retains power in Uttarakhand, a committee comprising legal experts, retired people, intellectuals, and other stakeholders will be constituted to implement the UCC.
Dhami had said that as soon as the BJP goverment takes oath, a committee which will include retired judges, noted people from civil society, experts and others will be formed to prepare a draft of uniform civil code to be implemented in the state of Uttarakhand.
He had also added that the implementation of the code will cover all aspects related to marriage, inheritance, divorce and other issues irrespective of which religion they belong to.
Implementation of the UCC was also one of the main promises by the BJP in its manifesto titled 'Drishti Patra' (Vision Document) for Uttarakhand.
Other promises included land law, increment in pensions of specially abled elderly and others from Rs 1200 to Rs 1500, increment in salaries of ad-hoc teachers, anganwadi workers and many others.
In 2019, a Supreme Court bench commenting on the matter had then stated, "Whereas the founders of the Constitution in Article 44 in Part IV dealing with the Directive Principles of State Policy had hoped and expected that the state shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territories of India, till date no action has been taken in this regard.”