After Uttarakhand, Gujarat is looking to implement a Uniform Civil Code in the state and an announcement on the formation of a committee to draft the guidelines is likely to be made on Tuesday. Sources said a 3-5 member committee is likely to be named.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi are slated to make the announcement at a press conference at 12:15 pm today, sources said. The Uniform Civil Code, one of the BJP's core promises, provides for a single law for all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, etc.
Last month, Uttarakhand became the first state after India's Independence to implement the Uniform Civil Code. It came into effect from January 27.
The Uttarakhand civil code makes registration mandatory for all marriages as well as live-in relationships. Among its key provisions are equal property rights for sons and daughters, equal grounds for divorce and legitimacy for children born from live-in relationships. The Pushkar Dhami-led BJP government has introduced an online portal to streamline the registration of marriage, divorce and inheritance.
