In a first, the draft of the Uniform Civil Code that was submitted to the Uttarakhand government shows a photo of the statue of Lady Justice without a blindfold, implying that everyone will now be treated equally by the law. This is a powerful symbolic statement. The statue’s blindfold is supposed to symbolize impartiality and objectivity.
The draft, which was delivered to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday by a panel appointed by the government, also has symbolic language in its title. ‘Fostering Equality Through Uniformity’ is the title of the draft.

The Uttarakhand Assembly will convene a special four-day session from February 5 to February 8 in order to approve legislation pertaining to the Uniform Civil Code.

Uttarakhand will be the first state in the nation to adopt the Uniform Civil Code following independence if the bill is passed and the law is put into effect. Several other BJP-ruled states, such as Assam and Madhya Pradesh, have also indicated interest in enacting laws along these lines. Since Goa was ruled by the Portuguese, it has had a common civil code.

A five-member committee was established by the Uttarakhand government in May 2022, shortly after the BJP took back the state with a campaign promise of enacting the Uniform Civil Code. The committee is chaired by retired Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai.

The goal of the Uniform Civil Code is to give all citizens, regardless of religion, a consistent legal framework for marriage, divorce, land, property, and inheritance laws. A Uniform Civil Code was strongly advocated for by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.