BHOPAL: The high-level committee constituted by the Madhya Pradesh government on April 27 to prepare the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) draft submitted its final report to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday.
The three-volume report was submitted by committee members Gopal Sharma, Budhpal Singh, Shobha Paithankar and member secretary Ajay Katesaria, an IAS officer.
"The three-volume report has been forwarded to the state law department. Following refinement of the draft Bill and examination by the committee of senior secretaries, the proposed legislation is expected to be placed before the council of ministers for approval and is likely to be introduced in the monsoon session of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, which is scheduled from July 20 to July 24," the Madhya Pradesh government said in an official statement.
The first volume contains the committee's recommendations. Based on an analysis of international, national and state laws and prevailing practices, the committee presented its recommendations in 10 chapters.
The second volume contains the draft UCC Bill prepared in accordance with the laws and rules currently in force in Madhya Pradesh. The proposed legislation comprises four Parts, 404 Sections and seven Schedules.
The third volume contains the public consultation report, detailing consultations conducted at the district and state levels, as well as through the committee's dedicated website. The committee received more than 9.58 lakh public responses, and the report includes a detailed analysis of the feedback by questionnaire, gender and community.
The committee has recommended that Scheduled Tribes be kept outside the purview of the proposed Uniform Civil Code. Scheduled Tribes account for at least 21% of Madhya Pradesh's population.
The high-level committee was tasked with examining the existing legal framework governing personal and family matters, including marriage, divorce, maintenance, succession, adoption and live-in relationships.
"The Committee prepared the draft after taking into account the social, cultural and economic conditions of Madhya Pradesh. The Committee has based its recommendations on the principles of ensuring gender equality, preserving diverse customary and ceremonial practices, respecting prevailing customs and traditions, and adhering to constitutional provisions and public policy," the state government's statement added.
The chief minister also expressed gratitude to the committee's chairperson, retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, committee member and senior adviser Shatrughan Singh, former chief secretary of Uttarakhand, and member Anoop Nair, who could not attend Monday's meeting due to personal reasons.
