After Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam, now the process of implementing Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has started in West Bengal also. Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari had earlier announced that a committee would be formed to draft the UCC bill. The notification for the formation of that committee has now been issued. The West Bengal government has formed an expert committee of nine members under the leadership of retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai. This committee is responsible for the West Bengal Uniform Civil Code (ucc) will examine the draft of the Bill, 2026.
The committee has been given four weeks to examine the draft law and give its recommendations. Based on its report, the state government can present the bill in the assembly session to be held in August.
Who are the members of this committee?
The committee constituted under the chairmanship of retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai includes former Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy, Resident Commissioner Dushyant Nariyala, IAS officer Shatrughan Singh, Home Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh, retired Bangabashi College professor Ratna Bhattacharya, former Rabindra Bharati University Dean Gopal Chandra Mishra, Calcutta High Court lawyers Usman Gani Malik and Nirmalya Bhattacharya. This committee will go to different parts of the state and take people’s opinion.
According to sources, the committee members will now go to different parts of the state to take people’s opinion on this law. After taking everyone’s opinion, the committee will give recommendations to the state on this issue in the next one and a half month. The state law department has started preparations to form a committee.
Earlier, the retired judge had met State Chief Secretary Manoj Aggarwal in Delhi. What was mainly discussed in the meeting was what would be the blueprint for bringing a Uniform Civil Code? The work of drafting the bill on the lines of Assam and Uttarakhand has already started, but since the opinion of many people has been formed, the committee is giving importance to the opinion of the people.
These issues may be included in draft UCC
- Ban on more than one marriage.
- Equal rights on ancestral property for men and women.
- Measures to prevent child marriage.
- Rules to regulate live-in relationships, including a possible registration system.
While finalizing the law, the state government is also studying the UCC model implemented or proposed in Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam. The proposed law is expected to keep tribal (tribal) communities out of its scope, just as exemptions have been provided in other UCC frameworks.
Politics in Bengal regarding UCC
Earlier, Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari had told the Assembly that UCC will be implemented in the state after proper procedure. This step has been taken after the election promise of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to bring Uniform Civil Code within six months of assuming power.
At the same time, Trinamool Congress (TMC) has opposed the proposed law. Party chief and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has directed party leaders to oppose the bill both inside and outside the Assembly. Opposition leader Ritabrata Banerjee has also questioned the government’s timeline, arguing that legislation affecting personal and family laws should go through large-scale public consultation before implementing it.
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