Bengal UCC panel to hold public hearings in 6 towns
Bengal UCC panel to hold public hearings in 6 towns
M.U.H
04/09/202614
Kolkata: The first meeting of West Bengal’s Uniform Civil Code committee was held at Banga Bhavan in Delhi on Thursday, chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.
The panel decided to hold public hearings in six towns, including Kolkata, Burdwan, Malda, Midnapore, Jalpaiguri and another location near Kolkata, before preparing its recommendations.
The committee will set up its office in Kolkata and launch a website to invite public feedback. Advertisements will also be issued soon, allowing people to submit their views online or offline.
The panel has been tasked with proposing uniform civil norms covering marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships. It will examine provisions of personal laws and consult women’s groups, LGBT groups, religious leaders and community representatives, with a focus on gender justice and constitutional safeguards.
The state-specific draft will seek to balance equality and religious freedom while ensuring the proposed provisions can withstand constitutional scrutiny. Justice Desai is expected to lead the consultations.
The committee’s recommendations will eventually form the basis of a UCC Bill to be placed before the West
