JAIPUR: Rajasthan is likely to become the second state after Uttarakhand to introduce the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, which aims to establish uniform civil laws for all citizens regardless of their religion.
Rajasthan cabinet minister Kanhiya Lal Choudhary announced in the state assembly on Tuesday that the government would soon table the UCC Bill with the consent of chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma.
“If time permits, we will bring it in the ongoing session or else in the next session,” he said, calling the bill the need of the hour to eliminate any form of social injustice.
The current session of the assembly, which began on February 5, is expected to end on February 9. During this session, finance minister and deputy chief minister Diya Kumari will present the interim budget for the next fiscal year.
However, it is unlikely that the UCC Bill will be tabled in the budget session, as it is not listed on the assembly website, where bills and amendments are uploaded in advance.
The proposed UCC Bill aims to establish uniform laws pertaining to marriage, divorce, inheritance of property, live-in relationships, and other related matters. It seeks to curb practices like polygamy and divorce through religious means.
The bill also proposes to ban child marriage and introduce a uniform process for divorce. It further gives women across faiths equal rights when it comes to claiming their rightful share of their ancestral property.
The bill also makes it compulsory for live-in relationships to be registered under the law within a month from the date of entering into the relationship. To be in a live-in relationship, adult couples will have to obtain consent from their parents.
The UCC Bill is in line with the BJP’s manifesto, which promises to implement a common civil code for the country. The party has been advocating for the UCC as a way to ensure gender justice and national integration.
The UCC Bill is also in sync with the Supreme Court’s observations in several cases, where it has urged the central government to enact a uniform civil code for the nation.
Rajasthan’s move to introduce the UCC Bill comes after Uttarakhand became the first state to do so on Tuesday. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami tabled the UCC 2024 Bill at the assembly in Dehradun, which was passed by voice vote.
Choudhary praised Dhami for initiating the bill and said that Rajasthan would follow suit. “We are making an effort to ensure that Rajasthan becomes the second state after Uttarakhand…CM is in support of this. He has given directions for this, and work will be done soon,” he said.
The UCC Bill is likely to face opposition from some religious groups and political parties, who may see it as an infringement on their personal laws and cultural identity. However, the BJP government in Rajasthan has a comfortable majority in the assembly, with 114 seats out of 200.
The UCC Bill, if passed and implemented, will have far-reaching implications for the social and legal landscape of Rajasthan, which has a population of over 7.8 crore, comprising various religions and communities.
