Uttarakhand on Sunday took one more step towards becoming the first state to implement Uniform Civil Code (UCC) after the state cabinet approved the UCC panel’s draft report, with the decision being taken in a meeting chaired by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Sunday’s development came two days after the five-member UCC committee, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai, submitted its report to the chief minister.

The development also comes on the eve of a special two-day assembly session, which the state’s BJP government announced on January 26, to discuss the code’s implementation. The report will be tabled in the assembly on Tuesday, the second and final day; as the ruling party has 47 seats in the 70-member house, the UCC bill is set for a smooth sailing.

The legislation will then be sent to the Governor, the state’s constitutional head. Once approved by the Governor, it will become a law.

UCC implementation was part of the BJP’s manifesto for the 2022 Uttarakhand assembly election. The saffron party eventually won a re-election.

What is UCC?

Put simply, it is a common set of laws that will supersede customary laws across faiths and tribes, and govern issues such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and maintenance.

According to the Constitution of India, UCC is a part of the non-justiciable directive principles of state policy.

As per the 2011 national census, the hill province has a 14% (13.9%) Muslim population, with most people from the community living in the Terai region.