GANDHINAGAR: The BJP government in Gujarat announced the formation of a committee, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, to frame guidelines for implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).The five-member committee, to be headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai, will submit its report within 45 days, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said on Tuesday.”To assess the need for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and to prepare a draft bill for the same, we have decided to form a committee under the former judge of the Supreme Court,” he said.Other members of the panel include retired IAS officer CL Meena, advocate RC Kodekar, educationist Daxesh Thakar and social worker Gita Shroff.Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said that all aspects will be considered in preparing the report. “The Chief Minister has directed this committee to do detailed research on it in the next 45 days and present a report to the government,” he said.The state government will take a decision about the implementation of the UCC after receiving the report, he added.Last month, Uttarakhand became the first state to implement the UCC. After Goa, which has a pre-independence UCC in place, Uttarakhand is now the first BJP-ruled state to draft and establish a UCC.What’s Uttarakhand’s UCC?The Uttarakhand UCC applies to all residents, except Scheduled Tribes and certain protected communities.All marriages and live-in relationships must be registered, with online registration facilities available. Marriages before March 26, 2010, or outside Uttarakhand, can also be registered if the legal criteria are met.Marriages can only occur between mentally capable individuals, with the man at least 21 and the woman at least 18. It ensures equal divorce rights for both husbands and wives across all religions, and grants equal inheritance rights to sons and daughters in all communities. The UCC also bans practices like Halala and Iddat in the Muslim community, and ensures no discrimination between legitimate and illegitimate children regarding property rights.Special provisions are made for military personnel to create privileged wills, and the UCC establishes a framework for creating and cancelling wills under testamentary succession.
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