Chief Minister Dr. Yadav Receives Final Three-Volume Report on Uniform Civil Code

The High-Level Committee constituted to prepare the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) submitted its final report to Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav on Monday. The Chief Minister thanked the Committee Chairperson and all its members for completing the assignment and submitting the report within the stipulated timeline. Committee members Prof. Gopal Sharma, Shri Budhpal Singh, Ms. Shobha Paithankar and Member Secretary Shri Ajay Katesaria were present on the occasion.

The report submitted to the Chief Minister has been compiled in three volumes. The first volume contains the Committee’s recommendations. Based on an analysis of international, national and state laws and prevailing practices, the Committee has presented its recommendations in 10 chapters.

The second volume contains the draft Bill proposed by the Committee. The draft legislation has been prepared in accordance with the laws and rules currently in force in Madhya Pradesh. The proposed Bill comprises four Parts, 404 Sections and seven Schedules.

The third volume contains the public consultation report, detailing the extensive consultations conducted by the Committee at the district and state levels, as well as through its dedicated website. The Committee received more than 9.58 lakh public responses, and the volume includes a detailed analysis of the feedback by questionnaire, gender and community.

The Committee has recommended that Scheduled Tribes be kept outside the purview of the proposed Uniform Civil Code. It may be recalled that the High-Level Committee constituted by the State Government was tasked with studying the existing legal framework governing various personal and family matters, including marriage, divorce, maintenance, succession, adoption and live-in relationships. The Committee prepared the draft after taking into account the social, cultural and economic conditions of Madhya Pradesh. The Committee has based its recommendations on the principles of ensuring gender equality, preserving diverse customary and ceremonial practices, respecting prevailing customs and traditions, and adhering to constitutional provisions and public policy.

Chief Minister Dr. Yadav also expressed his gratitude to the Committee Chairperson, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Retd.), former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, as well as Committee member and Senior Advisor Shri Shatrughan Singh and Committee member Shri Anoop Nair, who could not attend the meeting due to personal reasons.

The report submitted by the Committee has been forwarded to the State Law Department. Following refinement of the draft Bill and examination by the Committee of Senior Secretaries, the proposed legislation is expected to be placed before the Council of Ministers for approval and is likely to be introduced in the Monsoon Session of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly.