West Bengal UCC Draft Review Committee Formed

The India — West Bengal government, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari of the India — Bharatiya Janata Party, has formed a nine-member expert committee headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Desai to examine the draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill. The committee includes former Meghalaya governor Tathagata Roy, IAS officer Dushyant Nariala, retired IAS officer Shatrughna Singh, Principal Secretary Sanghamitta, academic Dr Ratna Bhattacharya, former vice-chancellor Gopalchandra Misra, advocate Osman Gani Mallick, and former executive director Koushik Bhattacharyya. The panel has four weeks to review the draft and submit recommendations, after which the bill is expected to be tabled in the August Assembly session. The proposed UCC aims to standardize personal civil laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption for all residents irrespective of religion, while exempting indigenous communities. India — West Bengal would become the fourth BJP-ruled state after India — Uttarakhand, India — Gujarat, and India — Assam to move toward UCC implementation. The move fulfills a key BJP electoral promise and has sparked political opposition from the India — Trinamool Congress, with former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urging resistance. The committee's formation follows cabinet approval on July 2 and a notification issued on July 10.