The Rajasthan Government has formally constituted a committee to prepare draft legislation for implementing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), initiating a structured policy exercise aimed at examining the feasibility of a common legal framework governing personal laws across communities. The committee will be headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai and has been tasked with preparing a draft legislation that would standardise laws relating to marriage, divorce, inheritance, and succession.

The formation of the panel marks the beginning of an official drafting process in the state, which is expected to include legal review, public consultation, and comparative study of existing personal law frameworks. Officials said the exercise is intended to balance legal uniformity with social diversity while examining constitutional and administrative implications of such a reform. State Minister Jawahar Singh Bedham said the committee will conduct consultations at the divisional level across Rajasthan to ensure that a wide range of public views are recorded before the draft is finalised.

In addition to physical consultations, the panel will also invite suggestions through a dedicated website, enabling citizens to submit feedback digitally. The government has described this dual approach as an attempt to make the drafting process more participatory, transparent, and inclusive, particularly in a state with diverse cultural and regional practices. According to the government’s outline, the panel’s mandate also includes identifying areas where exemptions or special considerations may be required.

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One such provision already indicated is that tribal communities will be kept outside the purview of the proposed Uniform Civil Code framework. This exemption is expected to be a key subject of discussion during consultations, as tribal groups in Rajasthan follow distinct customary practices that differ from mainstream personal law systems. Officials are likely to evaluate how constitutional protections for cultural identity can be reconciled with the broader objective of legal uniformity.

Rajasthan has now become the fifth Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state to initiate formal steps toward implementing a UCC over the past two years. The move follows earlier developments in Uttarakhand, which became the first state to pass a UCC law in February 2024. Subsequently, Gujarat and Assam also advanced related initiatives under their respective state governments. In addition, Madhya Pradesh has constituted its own committee to draft a UCC bill and is reportedly preparing to introduce the legislation in the coming legislative session.

The establishment of the committee in Rajasthan signals the beginning of a longer legislative process that will involve extensive consultation, legal drafting, and policy review before any bill is presented. Once the panel completes its consultations and submits recommendations, the state government is expected to assess the feasibility of moving forward with a formal legislative proposal. The initiative places Rajasthan within a broader national trend of states examining uniform civil law frameworks, a subject that continues to generate significant legal, political, and social debate across India.

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