Overview
- Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari pledged on Sunday, October 4, 2026, to implement a Uniform Civil Code in West Bengal within six months and said conversion-targeted laws would follow.
- The state has appointed a high-level committee led by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai to examine and draft the proposed UCC.
- Officials say the UCC would standardize civil rules on marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption across communities but full bill text and legislative timelines have not been released.
- Adhikari also announced plans for strict laws against what he termed ‘love jihad’ and ‘land jihad’, a Rs 1,000 crore religious-tourism circuit, and mass religious recitals this year.
- Legal experts and rights groups warn the measures could prompt court challenges and affect minority communities, while supporters say the plan advances BJP campaign promises on national cultural unity.