Overview

• Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, who retired from the Supreme Court in May 2023, has been appointed as the chairperson of the 23rd Law Commission of India.
• The commission, constituted in September 2024, is mandated to explore the feasibility of introducing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country.
• Hitesh Jain, an advocate, and Professor D P Verma, a legal academic, have also been appointed as full-time members of the commission.
• This development aligns with the BJP government's broader legal and cultural reform agenda, which includes past initiatives like the repeal of Article 370 and the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
• The 23rd Law Commission succeeds the 22nd, which had begun consultations on the UCC but did not complete its draft report before its term ended in August 2024.