In less than 60 days of coming to power, the first BJP Govt in West Bengal is set to write itself to history.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's Govt will pilot ....
A Bill for a new law/statute to extern and detain Goonda or the “anti-social” elements.
One draft law on the Uniform Civil Code
and the third, an amendment to the public order law to extract financial damages from those who vandalize property during riots and protests.
The decision to move the Bills was taken at a Business Advisory Committee meeting convened by Speaker Rathindra Bose last week.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has been candid:
“The Uniform Civil Code will happen in West Bengal. There is a procedure. I will speak in the Assembly. A committee is set up by a sitting judge, like in Gujarat, Assam and Uttarakhand.”
The BJP is now set o implement its major election promises.
In fact, West Bengal will become the fourth state to replace religion-based personal laws with a single, unified set of civil laws applicable to all citizens irrespective of religion and caste.
Earlier, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam (lately) had enacted the UCC. Ram mandir at Ayodhya and abrogation of Art 370 along with the UCC were three major contentious issues taken up by the BJP from time to time. While Art 370 was done away with for Jammu and Kashmir on Aug 5, 2019; the same year on Nov 9th - the Supreme Court gave a mandate on the temple-masjid dispute at Ayodhya.
In West Bengal, Muslims constitute nearly 30% of the population and hence the political fallout of such a move is well expected.
The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is a "legal framework" designed to replace religion-based personal laws.
It aims to establish a single, uniform set of civil laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and maintenance for all citizens, irrespective of their religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
Under Article 44, the UCC is rooted in the Indian Constitution as "Directive Principles of State Policy".
It states: "The State shall endeavor to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India."
The Suvendu Govt may bank on the Assam legislation, sources said.
Assam has above 35-36 per cent Muslim population and a sizable Bengali Muslims.
Among its key provisions, the Assam UCC law has provisions of a ban on polygamy and makes the registration of marriages and live-in relationships mandatory.
Marriages ought to be registered within 60 days of the ceremony, while couples in live-in relationships will have to register within 30 days. It lays down penalties for non-compliance, with deliberate failure to register a marriage or divorce within the stipulated period attracting a fine of Rs 10,000.
The West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, is the government’s instrument for dismantling what it has long described as the TMC’s street-level patronage machinery—the networks of extortion, booth-capture and coercion that the BJP spent years documenting in affidavits and press conferences while in Opposition.
The Bill defines a “goonda” as a person or member of a group, gang or syndicate who habitually commits, attempts to commit, abets, promotes, finances or facilitates anti-social activities, or has been charge-sheeted under BNS Sections 111 or 112, or is implicated under the Arms Act, NDPS Act, Explosive Substances Act or the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Officials said a person once so designated, may be externed from a specified area or district for up to one year. District Magistrates, Commissioners of Police and officers of DIG rank and above will be empowered to issue such orders.
The Bill provides for preventive detention of up to 12 months and empowers the state to confiscate property linked to such offences.
An amendment to the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order Act, 1972, will allow the administration to recover compensation from those convicted of damaging public or private property during riots, protests or other disturbances.
A Claims Commission, to be headed by a former district judge, will adjudicate such claims, with the power to assess losses, award compensation and appoint valuers.
The principle of strict liability will apply once the nexus between the incident and the damage is established, with liability imposable not only on direct perpetrators but on those who instigated, incited, abetted, organised, sponsored or harboured them.
ends
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