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Bhopal: A committee constituted to draft a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for Madhya Pradesh has recommended exclusion of tribals from its scope in its report submitted to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, officials said.

The report of the government-appointed multi-member panel, headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, was submitted to CM Yadav on Monday, July 13, and forwarded to the law department.

Following revision and process (consideration) by a committee of senior secretaries, a bill on UCC is likely to be tabled in the state assembly during the upcoming monsoon session after approval by the cabinet, an official statement said.

The five-day monsoon session of the state assembly will be held from July 20.

Chief Minister Yadav thanked all panel members, including the chairperson, for submitting the report within the stipulated time.

Committee members Prof Gopal Sharma, Budhpal Singh, Shobha Paithankar, and member secretary Ajay Katesaria were present at the submission of the report. Justice Desai, committee member and senior advisor Shatrughan Singh, and another member Anup Nair were unable to attend the event due to personal reasons, the statement said.

The report is compiled in three sections. The first 10-chapter section contains the committee’s recommendations after analysing various international, national, and state laws and practices. The second section of the report is a draft bill, according to the statement.

The draft bill proposed by the panel has been prepared in light of laws and regulations prevalent in Madhya Pradesh. The proposed bill has four parts, 404 sections, and seven schedules.

The third section contains a report prepared after extensive public consultation conducted by the panel at district, state, and website levels. The committee received over 9.58 lakh suggestions and a question, gender, and community-wise analysis of these is included in this section.

“The committee has recommended excluding Scheduled Tribes from the Uniform Civil Code,” the statement said.

The high-level panel constituted by the state government was tasked with studying the prevailing systems related to various personal and family matters, such as marriage, divorce, maintenance, inheritance, adoption, and live-in relationships.

Accordingly, the committee prepared a draft in accordance with the social, cultural, and economic conditions of Madhya Pradesh. The panel has worked towards ensuring gender equality, ensuring various ceremonial practices remain unaffected, respecting prevalent customs and practices, and constitutional provisions and public policy, added the statement.