Jairam Ramesh attacks BJP over state-level Uniform Civil Code push

A former High Court judge has resigned from Maharashtra’s UCC drafting committee, sparking fresh confrontation. Senior Congress MP Jairam Ramesh seized on the departure to condemn the BJP’s state-by-state legislative campaign, arguing that the party is weaponizing civil law to drive political polarization rather than genuine legal reform.

Editorial·September 23, 2026·reads: 888

Jairam Ramesh attacks BJP over state-level Uniform Civil Code push

Ramesh characterized the current rollout as a departure from the vision of the Constituent Assembly, which he argued never intended for states to compete in creating fragmented legal codes. He pointed to the 2018 Law Commission report, which concluded that a Uniform Civil Code was neither necessary nor desirable, noting that the government had ignored its own experts because their findings conflicted with its agenda.

Since 2025, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Assam, and Madhya Pradesh have moved forward with their own versions of the legislation. Ramesh criticized these individual statutes for lacking uniformity, citing inconsistent penalties and procedures that he claims perpetuate patriarchal traditions. He labeled the ongoing push a tool for harassment and social division rather than a serious attempt at national reform.

The resignation follows a pledge by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to implement similar codes across all BJP-governed states before 2029. While Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis maintains that the state committee is finalizing its work, the opposition remains firm that the legislative framework serves only to keep society in a state of permanent volatility.