Gujarat: Panel suggests common legal framework for all religions in UCC report

Gandhinagar: A committee constituted by the Gujarat government submitted its final report on the Uniform Civil Code to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday, suggesting a common legal framework for all religions and communities regarding marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption.

Priority has been given to equal rights and protection of women, according to a release.

The state government is likely to table a draft Bill on the UCC in the legislative Assembly during the ongoing Budget session.

The government had formed the panel under Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (retd) in February last year to explore various aspects related to the implementation of the UCC and prepare a draft bill for the same.

During a presentation made at the submission of the report to the chief minister, the panel’s chairperson said the report has recommended a common legal framework for all religions and communities on issues like marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption, a government release stated.

In particular, equal rights and protection of women have been given priority, it said.

Retired senior IAS officer C L Meena, senior advocate R C Kodekar, former Vice Chancellor of Veer Narmad South Gujarat University Dr Dakshesh Thakar, and social worker Gita Shroff are other members of the committee.

Sources said the state government may introduce the draft bill on the UCC in the Assembly on March 25, the last day of the ongoing Budget session.

At the time of the formation of the committee, the chief minister had said the state government was committed to fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve of implementing UCC across the country.

Patel had said the committee would examine various aspects related to UCC and take into account the views of people from different walks of life to prepare its report.

Initially, the panel was expected to submit its report in 45 days after examining various aspects. Later, the committee was given extensions.

In August last year, the state government stated that the panel had held meetings with 38 Muslim organisations to understand their opinions on the UCC.

The committee members travelled to all the districts of Gujarat and collected feedback from political and religious leaders, the state government had said.

People also expressed their opinions regarding UCC on a website created specifically for this reason, and nearly 19 lakh suggestions were received by the panel, according to the government.

Despite the government’s assurance, members of the Muslim community had protested against the proposed UCC by forming

human chains in Ahmedabad and Vadodara city of Gujarat in April 2025.

In December last year, the Gujarat High Court rejected a plea challenging the constitution of the committee by the state government to assess the need for a UCC.

While rejecting the appeal filed by Surat-based petitioner Abdul Vahab Sopariwala, the HC held that the court cannot interfere in the executive functions as laid down under Article 162 of the Constitution.