Dehradun (Uttarakhand): The tenure of the Expert Committee formed in Uttarakhand for preparing the draft of the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is likely to be extended for the third time. The term of the expert panel will expire on September 27. Before the expiry of the term, the Expert Committee has sent a proposal to the State government seeking further extension of the tenure. Sources said that the proofreading of the proposed UCC draft was completed. However, some of the work in the draft was yet to be finished.
Earlier, the Committee's tenure was extended twice. The UCC draft was prepared after taking feedback from several lakhs of people in the state. At the first Cabinet meeting in 2022, convened by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, it was decided to constitute an expert committee on UCC (Uniform Civil Code).
Following the go-ahead given by the cabinet, the expert committee on UCC was formed on May 27, 2022. The panel was formed under the chairmanship of retired judge Ranjana Desai to prepare the draft of UCC.
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Previously, the deadline for preparing the draft was fixed at six months. However, due to the non-completion of the draft, the tenure of the committee was extended for six more months. However, the tenure of the committee ended on May 27, 2023. Again the tenure of the committee was extended for four more months for the second time. The third term of the committee will come to an end on September 27.
Earlier, the Congress took a jibe at the BJP government over the discussion of UCC during Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's visit to Delhi. Garima Dasouni, the state spokesperson of the Congress, said that whenever the head of the BJP government reaches Delhi, the discussion on UCC gathers steam. "The UCC was put on the back burner in Uttarakhand. The state had not received the Centre's approval to implement the UCC in the state. The proposed UCC draft was yet to be finished."
