Overview
- A government‑appointed committee led by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai formally submitted its three‑volume Uniform Civil Code report to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday; the file has been sent to the Madhya Pradesh Law Department for legal examination.
- The panel’s key recommendation is to keep Scheduled Tribes outside the proposed UCC, citing their distinct customary practices and existing constitutional safeguards for tribal communities.
- The committee produced a draft Bill of four parts, 404 sections and seven schedules, and a public consultation volume documenting more than 9.58 lakh responses gathered at district meetings, state consultations and online and analysed by question, gender and community.
- After legal review the draft will be examined by a committee of senior secretaries and then placed before the cabinet, with the state government signalling a likely introduction in the Assembly’s Monsoon Session that begins July 20, 2026.
- The move aligns Madhya Pradesh with several BJP‑ruled states pursuing state UCCs, raises questions about tribal autonomy and potential court challenges, and has prompted Chief Minister Yadav to press the Congress to state its position publicly.