West Bengal Cabinet approves panel to examine draft Uniform Civil Code Bill

The West Bengal Cabinet on Thursday (July 2, 2026) approved the constitution of a committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai to examine the draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill.

Minister Agnimitra Paul said the panel would have four weeks to scrutinise the draft legislation and submit its recommendations.

“The State Cabinet has approved the formation of a committee to examine the West Bengal Uniform Civil Code 2026 draft Bill. The committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai will have four weeks to examine it, after which it will be placed in the Assembly,” Ms. Paul told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, on June 29 informed the Assembly that the UCC would be implemented in the State soon and had referred to the setting up of the committee to examine the draft UCC Bill.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, in its election manifesto, had promised implementation of the UCC within six months of coming to power.

According to informed sources, the UCC is likely to ban polygamy, enforce gender parity in ancestral property rights, and curb child marriage. The proposed law is likely to bring in live-in relationships under its ambit and suggest registrations. The UCC Bill is likely to be brought in the Assembly in August. The State government will take inputs from similar legislation in Assam, Uttarakhand and Gujarat.  

The BJP government has also said Adivasi communities will be kept outside the ambit of the UCC.

Both the factions of the Trinamool Congress have opposed the implementation of the UCC in the State.

Trinamool Congress chairperson and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked party leaders to oppose the Bill both inside and outside the Assembly. Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, who leads the rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress, has also questioned the government’s haste, arguing that a proposal touching family laws and personal rights should undergo extensive public discussion before being enacted.