Uttarakhand will officially implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on January 27, according to Shailesh Bagoli, Secretary to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. This move will be rolled out a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Dehradun.

Bagoli confirmed that the UCC portal will be launched at 12:30 pm on January 27 at the Secretariat. The UCC aims to establish a common set of laws that would govern issues like marriage, divorce, inheritance, and maintenance, while subsuming customary laws across various faiths and tribes. Although the UCC is part of the non-justiciable directive principles of state policy in the Indian Constitution, Uttarakhand will be the first state in India to enforce it.

The implementation of the UCC was a key promise made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2022 assembly elections, which led to the party’s victory and a second consecutive term in power. Chief Minister Dhami emphasized that the UCC’s introduction is not intended to target any individual or community, but rather to unify the legal framework across the state.

This landmark move is expected to set a precedent for other states in the country and is being closely watched as a significant step in the BJP’s political agenda.