West Bengal Forms High-Level Panel to Review Draft Uniform Civil Code Bill

The West Bengal government has constituted a high-level committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to examine a draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the state.

A notification issued by the state government on July 10 stated that the committee was formed in view of the “wide ramifications and voluminous nature of the subject domain of the proposed legislation”. The government had already formulated a draft bill titled ‘The Uniform Civil Code, West Bengal, 2026’, aiming to create a comprehensive legal framework for all citizens residing in the state, irrespective of religion, faith, or community, concerning personal civil matters such as marriage, divorce, intestate succession, and testamentary succession.

The committee’s members include former Meghalaya Governor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tathagata Roy, Delhi Resident Commissioner Dushyant Nariala, retired IAS officer Shatrughna Singh, Principal Secretary of the Home and Hill Affairs Department Sanghamitra Ghosh, academic Dr Ratna Bhattacharya, former vice-chancellor of Gour Banga University Gopalchandra Misra, advocate Osman Gani Mallick, and former executive director of Sambhag Nirmalya Bhattacharyya.

The state cabinet approved the constitution of the committee on July 2, and the notification was published on July 10. A government spokesperson said the committee would begin its work and submit its findings soon.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury criticised the move, alleging that the implementation of a UCC could lead to the violation of minority rights. “Why is the government not making it at the central level? Why is it being made in different states? This law should be passed keeping in mind people from every section of the country,” he said.