Rajasthan UCC Bill draft clears legal review; sent to Law Minister Jogaram Patel

Jaipur, Aug 13 (IANS) The draft of Rajasthan’s proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill has moved closer to becoming law after completing legal scrutiny. The approximately 200-page draft has been forwarded by the Law Department to Law Minister Jogaram Patel for approval. Following his approval, the draft is expected to be placed before the state Cabinet on Thursday.

The draft was prepared by a committee headed by former Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. The committee submitted the draft to Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma last week, after which the Home Department forwarded it to the Law Department on Monday for legal review.

The scrutiny continued through Monday night and Tuesday. The proposed legislation is around 200 pages long.

The committee reportedly examined UCC-related laws and legislative provisions in states that have already moved ahead with the framework, along with Supreme Court guidelines and suggestions received from the public.

The draft has also drawn from the legal provisions of Uttarakhand and Gujarat.

Uttarakhand has already implemented a Uniform Civil Code, while Gujarat has passed its UCC Bill in the Assembly, although it has not yet been enacted.

Sources said tribal communities have been kept outside the proposed legislation’s ambit due to constitutional considerations.

The Rajasthan government’s next Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, is expected to take up the UCC Bill as one of its key agenda items on Thursday.

Deputy Chief Ministers Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa, other members of the Council of Ministers and senior officials are expected to attend the meeting at the Chief Minister’s Office in the Secretariat.

If approved by the Cabinet, the government will proceed with the next legislative steps for introducing the Bill.

The Uniform Civil Code is intended to provide a common legal framework governing personal civil matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and property rights, irrespective of religion.

The UCC seeks to replace separate religion-based personal laws with uniform civil provisions. Proposed provisions may include measures relating to gender equality, compulsory registration of marriages and standardised procedures for family and personal-law matters.

However, the UCC does not seek to prohibit religious customs, traditions or rituals. Its focus is on creating uniform legal rules governing civil and family-related rights and obligations.

–IANS

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