West Bengal Forms Justice Ranjana Desai Panel to Review UCC Draft

The West Bengal government has taken a significant step towards introducing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) by constituting a nine-member high-level committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to examine the draft legislation before it is considered for implementation. The move marks the state's first formal step towards creating a common legal framework governing personal civil matters for all residents, regardless of religion, faith or community.

A government notification issued on Friday said the committee was constituted in view of the "wide ramifications and voluminous nature" of the proposed legislation. The panel will undertake a comprehensive review of the draft Bill and submit its recommendations to the government before any decision is taken on the proposed law.

According to the notification, the draft Uniform Civil Code seeks to establish a uniform legal framework covering marriage, divorce, intestate succession, testamentary succession, inheritance, adoption, guardianship and maintenance . The proposed law aims to replace religion-specific personal laws in civil matters with a common legal code applicable to all citizens. However, it will deal only with personal civil laws and will not govern religious beliefs, customs, rituals or criminal law.

The committee will be chaired by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Retd.) , who earlier headed the panel that drafted Uttarakhand's Uniform Civil Code , India's first such state legislation. She has also served as Chairperson of the Delimitation Commission and currently heads the 8th Central Pay Commission .

Other members of the committee include former Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy , Resident Commissioner Dushyant Nariala , retired IAS officer Shatrughna Singh , Principal Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh , academic Dr Ratna Bhattacharya , former Gour Banga University Vice-Chancellor Gopalchandra Misra , advocate Osman Gani Mallick , and former executive director Nirmalya Bhattacharyya .

The committee was constituted following a decision taken at the state Cabinet meeting on July 2 . Officials said the panel will examine the legal, administrative and social implications of the proposed legislation, review existing personal laws applicable to different communities and submit recommendations after a detailed study of the draft Bill.

The initiative has been taken in line with Article 44 of the Constitution , one of the Directive Principles of State Policy , which directs the State to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for all citizens. Although the Directive Principles are not legally enforceable, they serve as guiding principles for policymaking.

The move also carries considerable political significance. The Uniform Civil Code was one of the Bharatiya Janata Party's key promises during the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections , which brought the party to power after ending the Trinamool Congress' 15-year rule in the state. With the formation of the expert panel, the government has formally initiated the legislative process for examining the proposed law before deciding its future course.