The final report by the high-level committee set up to draft the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for Madhya Pradesh to bring the bill in the state has been sent to the Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav.
The report, which was headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, has been put together in three volumes. The first is the committee’s recommendations drawn from an analysis of international, national and state laws. The latter speaks to the draft UCC Bill, which consists of four parts, 404 sections, and seven schedules. The third volume includes information on the results of a comprehensive public registration exercise (PWRC) with a response rate exceeding 9.58 lakh responses.
Apart from some other recommendations, the committee has made it clear that it does not want to put the problem of the members in the Scheduled Tribes under the throttle of the proposed Uniform Civil Code. In addition to this, the committee provided guidance on the issue of gender equality, respecting the constitution, existing customs and cultural practices.
The report has now been sent to the state’s Law Department for legal reviewing and refinement. The proposed Bill will be introduced during the monsoon session of Madhya Pradesh Assembly in the coming months, once it gets approval from the senior secretaries’ committee as well as the Madhya Pradesh state cabinet.
After receiving the report, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav credited the members of the committee for their prompt completion of the work in the given time frame. He also urged Congress party to state its stance on Uniform Civil Code.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister vowed to remain impartial to Congress, alleging that it was reducing issues like the UCC and Bhojshala in the process of public consultation as vote bank politics.