Gujarat: Uniform Civil Code Committee pays courtesy visit to CM Bhupendra Patel

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], March 5 (ANI): The Chairman and the members of the committee formed to frame guidelines on the Uniform Civil Code for Gujarat paid a courtesy visit to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday.
The Chairman of the committee and retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai and members - retired senior IAS CL Meena, Advocate RC Kodekar, former Vice Chancellor Dakshesh Thakar and social activist Geeta Behen Shroff met the Chief Minister.
According to an official release, this was the first time that the Chairman and members of the committee met the Chief Minister after the state government formed this committee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to implement the Uniform Civil Code nationwide for equal rights for all citizens of the country. For this purpose, the state government has constituted this committee to examine the necessity of UCC and prepare a draft for the law, the release stated.
Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department and Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Manoj Kumar Das, Secretary to the Chief Minister Avantika Singh, OSD Rakesh Vyas were present during this meeting.
On Tuesday, chairperson Ranjana Prakash Desai chaired a meeting of the five-member committee formed to frame guidelines on the Uniform Civil Code for the state. During the meeting, Desai appealed to the residents of Gujarat to provide their suggestions regarding UCC.
She stated that suggestions regarding the Common Civil Code can be submitted by Gujarat residents, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, social groups, and scholars, as well as religious institutions and professionals.
These suggestions could be submitted online through the portal. The deadline for submission is March 7, 2025. Suggestions can be sent in various formats, including Word, PDF, handwritten notes, scanned documents, or typed text in Gujarati and English.
The committee will also hold discussions with representatives of various organizations, religious institutions, and political parties.
Moreover, as per the instructions of the state government, the committee will review the necessity of a Common Civil Code in the state. In this context, a study has been conducted under the guidance of Retired Justice Ranjana Desai. The committee includes Justice KM Joseph, Advocate PS Narasimha, Advocate CS Vaidyanathan, and Ghatate, who have been appointed as members.
Speaking to the media, Desai said, "Gujarat government has formed a committee and from today we have started our work. We have been tasked to work to assess so that UCC can be implemented in the state. We have formed two sub-committees, of which one is for public consultancy and the other one is for draft preparation. We have also formed an office in Delhi where will be keeping meetings."
On February 4, the Gujarat government announced the formation of the committee to prepare the draft for UCC and create the law.
"To prepare the draft for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and create the law, a 5-member committee under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai has been constituted. The committee will submit its report to the state government in 45 days, based on which the government will take a decision," CM Patel said at a press conference. (ANI)