Kolkata, 03 July (H.S.) : The West Bengal government has taken a significant step towards implementing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state, with the State Cabinet on Thursday approving the draft West Bengal Uniform Civil Code Bill, 2026. The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

Following the Cabinet's approval, the draft Bill will now be referred to a high-powered committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Retd.) for examination and recommendations.

According to government sources, the committee has been asked to submit its report within four weeks. Based on its recommendations, the state government will prepare the final version of the legislation and table it during the West Bengal Assembly's August session.

Earlier, while addressing the Assembly on June 29, Chief Minister Adhikari had announced that tribals, indigenous communities, Kurmis and other recognised ancient tribal communities would be kept outside the ambit of the proposed law. He had said the exemption follows the model adopted by Uttarakhand and Gujarat, where similar protections have been provided to tribal communities.

The proposed UCC seeks to replace religion-based personal laws with a common legal framework governing matters such as marriage, divorce, maintenance, adoption, inheritance and property rights. The government has maintained that the legislation is intended to ensure equal civil rights for all citizens and eliminate disparities arising from different personal laws.

If enacted, West Bengal will become the fourth state in India to implement a Uniform Civil Code after Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Assam.

Apart from approving the draft UCC Bill, the Cabinet also took several other key decisions during its meeting.

Chief Minister Adhikari directed all government departments to implement strict cost-control measures and immediately curb avoidable expenditure. He instructed departments to identify and remove ineligible beneficiaries from various social welfare schemes to ensure efficient utilisation of public funds and reduce the financial burden on the state.

The Chief Minister also asked all departments to intensify efforts to plug revenue leakages, particularly in sectors such as stone quarries and sand mining, where the government believes substantial revenue losses occurred due to corruption during the previous Trinamool Congress administration.

The Cabinet further approved the permanent transfer of government-vested land in various districts to the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) for border-related infrastructure projects, including the construction of border outposts, border fencing and roads.

In another decision aimed at strengthening the judicial system, the Cabinet approved the establishment of nine new fast-track courts across nine districts of the state and sanctioned the creation of 35 new posts for their functioning.

The state government has reiterated that while the proposed Uniform Civil Code seeks to establish a common civil law for all citizens, it will also safeguard the constitutional rights, customs and traditions of Scheduled Tribes and other protected indigenous communities. The proposed legislation is expected to witness extensive debate when it is introduced in the Assembly during the August session.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh