Overview
- The state government issued a notification Friday forming a nine‑member expert committee chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai to examine and finalise the draft Uniform Civil Code for West Bengal.
- The draft UCC aims to replace religion‑specific personal laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance, succession and adoption with a single state law while keeping tribal, indigenous, Kurmi and certain recognised ancient tribal groups outside its scope.
- The panel includes former Meghalaya governor Tathagata Roy, Resident Commissioner Dushyant Nariala, senior bureaucrats and legal and academic experts who will study the draft and submit recommendations to the government.
- Officials say the committee will review other state UCC models—especially Assam’s—and its report will guide the final text that the government expects to table during the Assembly’s August session.
- The move fulfils a BJP 2026 manifesto promise and has sharpened political debate, with supporters framing the UCC as legal uniformity and critics warning of risks to minority personal‑law protections.