In probably its last Cabinet meeting before the announcement of Assembly polls in the State, the Gujarat government on Saturday moved a proposal to constitute a committee to evaluate all aspects of implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), similar to the move by Uttarakhand, another BJP-ruled State.
The committee will be headed by a retired High Court judge and will have three or four members.
“The committee will be formed before the model code of conduct for elections comes into force,” said Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, who announced the Cabinet decision along with Minister of State Harsh Sanghavi at the State BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar.
Terming the decision “historic”, Mr. Sanghavi said that the government led by Bhupendra Patel “honoured the wish of the of the people of the State”. He held that the it was the wish of the people of the State to have a common law for all citizens of the State and the government had received multiple representations from various quarters regarding the same.
Both Ministers asserted that the proposed UCC would not violate the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution. They held that the Hindu Marriage Act and Muslim personal laws would be covered under the UCC as these laws were not part of the Constitution.
They also denied that the latest move of the government was taken keeping the Assembly polls in mind while contending that it was necessary to resolve the discrepancies which arise in civil disputes, such as a woman’s claim on her husband’s or father’s property due to different laws.
The Ministers said the committee would submit its report after evaluating various aspects related to the UCC and the State government would take the final call on the implementation. No deadline has been set for the committee to submit its report.
Earlier in May this year, the Uttarakhand government had announced its decision to implement the UCC in the State. Similarly, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur had also announced that the UCC would be brought into the State soon.
Published - October 29, 2022 04:45 pm IST
