The Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in West Bengal is set to introduce the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in the Assembly on Monday during the ongoing Budget Session, advancing a key electoral promise well ahead of its stated six-month implementation timeline.
A source in the state cabinet said the decision was finalised at a Business Advisory Committee meeting held in the Assembly on Thursday evening.
The move is expected to mark a major legal and social policy shift in the state, with the BJP positioning the UCC as one of its flagship governance reforms.
Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, the party had pledged to implement the UCC within six months of assuming office. The commitment was prominently highlighted by Union Home Minister Amit Shah while unveiling the BJP's election manifesto, or 'Sankalp Patra', in April.
"Several states, including Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, have already implemented the UCC proposals.
Bengal will now also implement it in line with other BJP-ruled states as we had promised ahead of the elections," a minister in the Adhikari cabinet said.
The proposed UCC seeks to establish a common set of civil laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption for all citizens, irrespective of religion. It also proposes a ban on polygamy and triple talaq, replacing religion-based personal laws.
"Is it appeasement to have uniform laws for every Indian citizen, or is it appeasement when a citizen is permitted to marry four times while another can get married once?" Shah had argued during his pre-poll campaigns in the state, accusing TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee of promoting a policy in favour of one community.
While BJP leaders contend that a uniform legal framework will ensure equality before the law and strengthen national integration, opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress, have expressed concerns, arguing that personal laws are closely linked to religious freedoms and community identities.
Apart from the UCC Bill, the government is also expected to table two legislations aimed at tackling public disorder, vandalism and attacks on police personnel and public servants.
One proposal seeks amendments to the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order Act, 1972, which deals with offences such as rioting, arson, looting and the use of explosives.
The second, a new legislation titled the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, aims to strengthen public safety measures and address organised anti-social activities.
Officials said the bills were drafted in response to multiple incidents in which police stations and government offices were targeted by violent mobs.
The proposed law is expected to classify such offences as cognisable and non-bailable. It will also define perpetrators of organised crimes, their financiers, charge-sheeted criminals, and individuals involved in illegal arms, explosives, narcotics and human trafficking networks as "Goondas".
The Bill may also empower authorities to recover compensation for damage to public and private property from convicted offenders by liquidating their assets.
Meanwhile, the amendment to the 1972 Act proposes the creation of a Claims Commission to hear complaints related to forceful property acquisition and determine compensation, which would be recovered from those found responsible.
(With inputs from PTI)
