West Bengal Govt Constitutes Expert Committee To Examine Draft Uniform Civil Code Bill
The West Bengal Government has constituted a high-level expert committee to undertake a comprehensive examination and review of the draft Uniform Civil Code, West Bengal, 2026, according to a notification issued by the Judicial Department on July 10.The notification states that the committee has been constituted with immediate effect following a decision taken at the 6th meeting of the...
The West Bengal Government has constituted a high-level expert committee to undertake a comprehensive examination and review of the draft Uniform Civil Code, West Bengal, 2026, according to a notification issued by the Judicial Department on July 10.
The notification states that the committee has been constituted with immediate effect following a decision taken at the 6th meeting of the State Cabinet held on July 2, 2026. It has been tasked with examining the draft legislation before any further steps are taken.
Referring to Article 44 of the Constitution, the notification notes that the Directive Principles of State Policy provide that "the State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India."
It further records that the State Government has already formulated a draft Bill titled The Uniform Civil Code, West Bengal, 2026, with the objective of creating "a comprehensive legal framework for all citizens who are residents of the State, irrespective of their religion, faith, or community," in relation to matters including marriage, divorce, intestate succession and testamentary succession.
According to the notification, the Government considered it necessary to constitute an expert committee because of the "wide ramification and voluminous nature of the subject domain" requiring a detailed review of the proposed legislation.
The committee will be chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.
Its members include former Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy; Resident Commissioner Dushyant Nariala, IAS; retired IAS officer Shatrughna Singh; Principal Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs, Sanghamitra Ghosh, IAS, who will serve as Member-Convener; Dr. Ratna Bhattacharya, retired Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Anthropology at Bangabasi College; former University of Gour Banga Vice-Chancellor Gopal Chandra Misra; Calcutta High Court advocate Osman Gani Mallick; and former National Joint Project Coordinator and former Joint General Secretary Nirmalya Bhattacharyya.
The notification was issued by the Judicial Department from Writers' Buildings, Kolkata, and signed by Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal.
The move comes amid continuing national debate over the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code, with Article 44 of the Constitution envisaging that the State should endeavour to secure a uniform civil code for citizens. The proposed West Bengal legislation, if eventually introduced, would seek to govern personal civil matters uniformly across communities within the State, subject to the outcome of the expert committee's review.