Kumar Bahukhandi
Representational graphic on Chhattisgarh’s Uniform Civil Code consultation. The State’s UCC Drafting Committee is seeking academic research, ground-level surveys and public feedback as it examines issues including marriage, divorce, succession and maintenance. (AI-generated representational image/channel24india.com)
University heads urge the drafting committee to combine public feedback, field studies and legal research while framing provisions on marriage, divorce, succession and maintenance
Raipur: Chhattisgarh has accelerated consultations for drafting a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), with leading academics and university vice-chancellors calling for extensive ground-level surveys and research-based inputs to ensure that the proposed framework reflects the State’s social realities.
At a high-level consultation organised by the State’s UCC Drafting Committee, academics presented their views before committee members and retired IAS officer M. K. Raut, senior advocate Mohan Pawar and retired principal Jyoti Rani Singh.
The discussions covered sensitive areas of personal law, including marriage, divorce, succession and maintenance, while also examining how traditional social practices could be considered alongside contemporary legal reforms.
HNLU Offers Legal and Technical Support
Prof. V. C. Vivekanandan, Vice-Chancellor of Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), made a detailed presentation on the UCC and offered the university’s legal and technical expertise to assist in developing a robust, impartial and equitable draft.
The deliberations emphasised that any proposed common framework should seek equality before personal-law provisions irrespective of religion, caste or gender, while paying particular attention to justice and equality for women.
Rather than approaching the exercise purely as a legal drafting process, participants stressed the importance of understanding its implications for families and communities across Chhattisgarh.
Call for District-Level Surveys
Prof. Sachchidanand Shukla, Vice-Chancellor of Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, suggested involving experts and researchers from sociology, anthropology and law so that the draft is supported by academic evidence and a broader understanding of Chhattisgarh’s social structure.
A significant proposal emerging from the consultation was to conduct extensive field surveys across all districts of Chhattisgarh and obtain feedback directly from citizens.
Such an exercise, participants suggested, could help ensure that recommendations are informed not merely by legal principles but also by the experiences, expectations and circumstances of people living in different parts of the State.
Prof. Manoj Dayal, Vice-Chancellor of Kushabhau Thakre University of Journalism and Mass Communication, also offered suggestions during the deliberations.
Committee Assures Consideration of Suggestions
Committee members welcomed the recommendations and assured the academics that suggestions concerning public consultation, academic research and legal balance would receive priority during preparation of the final draft.
The consultation indicates that Chhattisgarh’s UCC exercise is moving beyond preliminary discussion towards a more structured drafting process involving legal experts, academics and public feedback.
For the State, the challenge will be to develop recommendations that combine the principle of equality with the complexities of its diverse social and cultural landscape. The emphasis on field surveys and multidisciplinary academic research could therefore become an important part of the drafting process.
