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Politics
West Bengal to Implement Uniform Civil Code in Six Months, Announces Anti-Forced Conversion Law
✍️ India Today
🗓 04 Oct 2026, 07:36 PM
👁 9
The West Bengal government said it will introduce a Uniform Civil Code within six months and is drafting a stringent law to curb forced religious conversions.
Kolkata, Oct 4 (India Today) – The West Bengal state administration announced a plan to roll out a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across the state within the next six months. The move aims to replace personal laws based on religion with a single set of civil statutes governing marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption.
In tandem with the UCC proposal, officials said a new legislation targeting forced religious conversions is being drafted. The draft law is described as stringent, seeking to prevent any conversion that is coerced or induced by material incentives.
The government has not disclosed detailed provisions of either the UCC or the anti-conversion bill, stating that they will be presented to the state legislature for debate in the coming weeks. The announcements come amid ongoing national discussions on a uniform civil code and concerns over conversion practices.
Stakeholders, including religious groups and civil society organisations, are expected to respond once the drafts are made public, but the state has indicated that the measures are intended to promote social harmony and protect individual choice.
The initiatives reflect the West Bengal administration's broader agenda of legal reforms aimed at standardising personal law and curbing activities it deems exploitative.
In tandem with the UCC proposal, officials said a new legislation targeting forced religious conversions is being drafted. The draft law is described as stringent, seeking to prevent any conversion that is coerced or induced by material incentives.
The government has not disclosed detailed provisions of either the UCC or the anti-conversion bill, stating that they will be presented to the state legislature for debate in the coming weeks. The announcements come amid ongoing national discussions on a uniform civil code and concerns over conversion practices.
Stakeholders, including religious groups and civil society organisations, are expected to respond once the drafts are made public, but the state has indicated that the measures are intended to promote social harmony and protect individual choice.
The initiatives reflect the West Bengal administration's broader agenda of legal reforms aimed at standardising personal law and curbing activities it deems exploitative.