West Bengal Government to Place Draft UCC Bill Before Cabinet on July 2

By Mahima Katal

Kolkata, June 29: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday announced that the state government will place the draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill before the cabinet on July 2, marking a significant step towards introducing a common civil law framework in the state.

Making the announcement in the West Bengal Assembly, Adhikari said a committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai has been constituted to prepare the draft legislation. The bill will subsequently be introduced in the Assembly.

The proposed legislation aims to establish a common legal framework governing matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption, irrespective of religion.

The move comes less than two months after the BJP ended the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule in West Bengal and is expected to become one of the new government's most significant and politically sensitive legislative initiatives.

The announcement also drew support from the BJP at the national level. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalladescribed the UCC as part of the party's long-standing commitment to women's empowerment and constitutional governance.

"The UCC has been a commitment of the BJP and the Modi government towards women's empowerment. Wherever the BJP-NDA government comes to power, it moves forward with its implementation," Poonawalla said in a video statement.

He cited developments in Uttarakhand, Assam, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and now West Bengalas evidence of the BJP's commitment to implementing the Uniform Civil Code.

Targeting the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, Poonawalla accused both parties of prioritising vote-bank politics over women's rights.

"From Shah Bano to Shayara Bano, they have always sacrificed women's rights at the altar of vote-bank politics," he alleged, adding that the UCC is a constitutional directive and has received judicial support, including from the Supreme Court and various High Courts.

He also noted that Goa has long followed a form of Uniform Civil Code despite the Congress being in power when it continued there.

The proposed UCC Bill is expected to trigger intense political and legal debate in the state, as it seeks to replace religion-specific personal laws with a common civil framework applicable to all citizens.