In Equality Push, Blindfold Taken Off Justice Statue In Uniform Civil Code Draft For Uttarakhand

In a strong symbolic message, a photo of the statue of Lady Justice on the draft of the Uniform Civil Code submitted to the Uttarakhand government does not have a blindfold to signify that the law will now treat everyone equally. The blindfold on the statue, incidentally, is meant to represent impartiality and objectivity, and sources said removing it takes this a step further.  

The symbolism extends to the title of the draft, which was submitted by a government-appointed panel to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday. The draft is titled 'Fostering Equality Through Uniformity'. 

The Uniform Civil Code aims to provide a legal framework for uniform marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance laws for all citizens, irrespective of their religion. In June last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a big push for a Uniform Civil Code and said the country couldn't run on two laws, much like it didn't work to have "different set of rules for different members of a family".

A special four-day session of the Uttarakhand Assembly will be held from February 5 to February 8 to pass legislation on the Uniform Civil Code.

If the bill is passed and the law gets implemented, Uttarakhand will become the first state in the country after Independence to adopt the Uniform Civil Code, and several other BJP-ruled states - including Assam and Madhya Pradesh - have also expressed interest in bringing in a similar law. Goa has had a common civil code since it was under Portuguese rule.

The five-member committee, headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, had been set up by the Uttarakhand government in May 2022, soon after the BJP returned to power in the state with the Uniform Civil Code as a campaign promise. The panel was given four extensions to submit its report.