The Bhupendra Patel-led Gujarat government announced a committee for exploring the implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state today.
The committee will be led by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, who also headed the UCC panel for Uttarakhand.
News18 has learnt that following the formation of the committee, its approval will be given by the cabinet tomorrow.
After this, the Gujarat government will bring the Uniform Civil Code bill in the state assembly.
This move from the Gujarat government comes after Uttarakhand enforced a Uniform Civil Code which laid the framework for uniform marriage, divorce, property, inheritance and adoption laws for all citizens. Uttarakhand became the second state after Goa to have a uniform legal framework for citizens.
The UCC came into effect in Uttarakhand almost a year after the Bill was passed in the state’s assembly. Among the clauses of UCC in the state, it is mandatory to register live-in relationships and parental consent for live-in relationships involving individuals under the age of 21 years.
As per UCC in Uttarakhand, marriages will need to be registered and the minimum age of marriage across religions will be 21 years for men and 18 years for women. Some other key elements of the bill are a ban on polygamy, child marriage, triple talaq and a uniform process for divorce. The Code will not apply to Scheduled Tribes in Uttarakhand.
