Uttarakhand: Uniform Civil Code panel tenure extended by 4 months

The duration of the expert committee responsible for drafting a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for Uttarakhand has been prolonged by four months.

A statement from the Chief Minister’s office announced, “The Uttarakhand government has granted a four-month extension to the expert committee led by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai for the Uniform Civil Code.”

The committee was established on May 27, 2022, and this marks the third instance of an extension being granted to a committee initially set to conclude its work by September 27. Although the committee has compiled a draft after considering public input, it has not yet submitted its report to the government, according to the statement.

The expert committee had submitted a proposal requesting a four-month extension, which was subsequently approved by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Additional Secretary (Home) Radha Raturi, on behalf of the Chief Minister’s office, issued the order to extend the committee’s tenure by four months.

In a previous statement in August, Chief Minister Dhami affirmed that the UCC would be implemented in the state as soon as the draft was completed.

“It is our resolution to bring the Uniform Civil Code as soon as possible. When we get the UCC draft, we will take this process forward this year. We will move ahead to implement it,” Dhami told the media.