The Chief Minister's Office of Chhattisgarh announced on Thursday, 25 June 2026 that the state government has constituted a committee to draft and implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state, marking a significant step in personal-law reform at the sub-national level.

The official post stated: 'छत्तीसगढ़ राज्य में Uniform Civil Code (UCC) लागू करने एवं इसका प्रारूप तैयार करने राज्य शासन द्वारा समिति का गठन' — translated as: 'The state government has constituted a committee to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Chhattisgarh and to prepare its draft.' The announcement was tagged under the hashtags #UniformCivilCode and #SushasanSarkar (meaning 'Good Governance Government').

Context

The Uniform Civil Code refers to a common set of personal laws — covering marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption — applicable to all citizens regardless of their religion. It is enshrined as a Directive Principle of State Policy under Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, though it has remained aspirational rather than enforceable for decades.

India currently operates under religion-specific personal laws, with separate codes governing Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and other communities. The debate around a national UCC has persisted since the Constitution was adopted in 1950, with periodic legislative and judicial interventions keeping it in public discourse.

Policy Backdrop

Uttarakhand became the first Indian state to enact a state-level Uniform Civil Code, passing its legislation in February 2024 following the work of an expert committee it had constituted. That move set a precedent for other states to pursue their own codification efforts without waiting for a national law.

Multiple BJP-governed states have since moved to constitute expert committees to draft state-specific UCC frameworks, reflecting a decentralised approach to personal-law reform. Chhattisgarh, governed by the BJP, now joins this wave with its own committee formation. A national UCC continues to be discussed at the Union level but no central legislation has been enacted as of this writing.

Stakeholders and Impact

The committee's mandate, as stated by the CMO, is both to prepare the draft code and to plan its implementation — a dual role that signals intent to move from policy design to ground-level rollout. The announcement directly affects all residents of Chhattisgarh, particularly communities whose personal affairs are currently governed by religion-specific statutes.

Religious communities, legal practitioners, civil society organisations, and women's rights groups are among the key stakeholders who are expected to engage with the committee's process. The drafting exercise will need to balance constitutional rights, personal freedoms, and the state's legislative competence in a domain that has historically been politically sensitive.

What's Next

The immediate milestone to watch is the release of the committee's draft report, which will outline the proposed provisions of Chhattisgarh's UCC. Following that, a bill would need to be introduced and passed in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly for the code to acquire legal force — the same path Uttarakhand followed.

If Chhattisgarh advances its draft to legislation, it would become the second Indian state to enact a UCC, adding further momentum to a broader national conversation about uniform personal laws and potentially increasing pressure on the Union government to take up a central code.