Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday announced the formation of an expert panel headed by a former judge of the Supreme Court for the implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state.?

Following up on an electoral promise, which he had reiterated soon after election as chief minister, Dhami on Friday said on social media that Justice (Retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai would head the expert panel.?

"In accordance to our promise in the vision document at the time of election, an expert committee has been constituted under Honourable Supreme Court Justice (Retired) Ranjana Desai Ji for the implementation of Uniform Civil Code to protect the culture of Devbhoomi and to provide uniformity to all religious communities," said Dhami in a post on Facebook in Hindi.

In the last leg of campaigning for the state assembly elections in February, Dhami had said an expert panel to implement the Uniform Civil Code will be set up soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party is re-elected.

In the first Cabinet meeting after re-election, Dhami had announced his government would set?up of a high-powered committee for UCC.

Dhami said at the time, "Dhami added, "We are a Himalayan state with a distinct cultural and religious heritage. We also share borders with two countries. So, a Uniform Civil Code is necessary. There is a provision for it in Article 44 of the Constitution. Even the Supreme Court has expressed its dissatisfaction in the past on its non-implementation."

Once implemented, Uttarakhand will be the second state after Goa in the country to implement it. Dhami is of the view that the rest of the states in the country should also follow the examples of Goa and Uttarakhand.

Goa has been following the Portuguese Civil Code, 1867, which is also called Uniform Civil Code. After its liberation from the Portuguese rule, the code is survived by virtue of Section 5(1) of the Goa, Daman and Diu Administration Act, 1962.

Its continuance amounts to the non-enforcement of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and Hindu Succession Act, 1956 or Indian Succession Act, 1925 or Shariat (Application) Act, 1937.

(With PTI inputs)