‘Centre committed to implementing Uniform Civil Code across India’

New Delhi: The Centre is committed to implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across the country, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal has said, asserting that its constitutional basis leaves no reason to restrict it to a few states.

In an interview with The New Indian Express, Meghwal said Article 44 of the Constitution provided for a uniform civil code. He noted that the Constituent Assembly had discussed the issue and that the Supreme Court had made observations on it on several occasions.

The minister described the steps taken by some states towards introducing the UCC as encouraging. He pointed out that Goa had followed a common civil code for decades, including during periods when the BJP was not in power there.

Meghwal also observed that the UCC was increasingly appearing in political parties' election manifestos.

Uttarakhand became the first state to enact a UCC law in February 2024 and remains the only state to have fully implemented it. Gujarat has subsequently passed UCC legislation, while Assam passed its legislation in May 2026, becoming the first northeastern state to do so.

Madhya Pradesh has also moved towards adopting the code, with its Cabinet unanimously approving the proposal at a special meeting in August.