UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — West Bengal govt. will table Uniform Civil Code Bill soon

Q1. At the Union level, the constitution and administrative servicing of the Law Commission of India — the body tasked with examining reform of personal laws towards a uniform civil code — falls under which Ministry?

• A. Ministry of Law and Justice
• B. Ministry of Home Affairs
• C. Ministry of Minority Affairs
• D. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

Q2. The Uniform Civil Code is incorporated in the Constitution of India as a Directive Principle under which Article and Part?

• A. Article 44, Part IV
• B. Article 48, Part IV
• C. Article 25, Part III
• D. Article 51A, Part IVA

Q3. The committee headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, constituted to prepare the framework for West Bengal's proposed Uniform Civil Code, has been asked to submit its recommendations within how many weeks?

• A. Two weeks
• B. Four weeks
• C. Six weeks
• D. Twelve weeks

Q4. Consider the following statements about West Bengal's proposed Uniform Civil Code (2026): 1. The committee to prepare the UCC framework is headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. 2. The draft UCC is to be placed before the State Cabinet for in-principle approval on 2 July 2026. 3. The Bill is expected to be tabled in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in August 2026. 4. On enactment, West Bengal would become the first State in India to legislate a Uniform Civil Code. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

1. The committee to prepare the UCC framework is headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.
2. The draft UCC is to be placed before the State Cabinet for in-principle approval on 2 July 2026.
3. The Bill is expected to be tabled in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in August 2026.
4. On enactment, West Bengal would become the first State in India to legislate a Uniform Civil Code.

• A. 1 and 2
• B. 2 and 3
• C. 1 and 4
• D. 4 only

Q5. Under the Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand, 2024, how is a 'live-in relationship' required to be dealt with by the parties?

• A. It must be registered with the Registrar both when it is entered into and when it is terminated
• B. It need be registered only if the couple later intends to marry
• C. It is automatically recognised after one year of cohabitation, with no registration
• D. It must be registered only with the local police station, not with any civil authority

Q6. Under the Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand, 2024, an application for registration or termination of a live-in relationship is filed with, and enquired into by, which authority?

• A. The Registrar appointed under the Act
• B. The District Magistrate
• C. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate
• D. The officer-in-charge of the local police station

Q7. Because UCC subjects fall in the Concurrent List, a State UCC law that is repugnant to an existing central enactment must, under Article 254(2), be reserved for the assent of which authority to prevail within that State?

• A. The President of India
• B. The Governor of the State
• C. Parliament by resolution
• D. The Chief Justice of India

Q8. Consider the following statements about the legislative competence underlying a State Uniform Civil Code: 1. 'Marriage and divorce' is enumerated in the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule. 2. 'Wills, intestacy and succession' falls within the Concurrent List. 3. Both Parliament and State Legislatures can legislate on personal-law matters in the Concurrent List. 4. A State law on a Concurrent List subject can prevail over a repugnant central law upon receiving the assent of the Governor. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

1. 'Marriage and divorce' is enumerated in the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule.
2. 'Wills, intestacy and succession' falls within the Concurrent List.
3. Both Parliament and State Legislatures can legislate on personal-law matters in the Concurrent List.
4. A State law on a Concurrent List subject can prevail over a repugnant central law upon receiving the assent of the Governor.

• A. 1 and 3
• B. 2 and 4
• C. 1, 2 and 4
• D. 4 only

Q9. With reference to Supreme Court pronouncements bearing on the Uniform Civil Code, consider the following statements: 1. In the Shah Bano case (1985), the Court upheld a divorced Muslim woman's right to maintenance under Section 125 CrPC and observed that Article 44 had remained 'a dead letter'. 2. In Sarla Mudgal (1995), the Court dealt with bigamy committed by conversion to Islam and urged the implementation of a uniform civil code. 3. In John Vallamattom (2003), the Court struck down Article 44 as unconstitutional. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. In the Shah Bano case (1985), the Court upheld a divorced Muslim woman's right to maintenance under Section 125 CrPC and observed that Article 44 had remained 'a dead letter'.
2. In Sarla Mudgal (1995), the Court dealt with bigamy committed by conversion to Islam and urged the implementation of a uniform civil code.
3. In John Vallamattom (2003), the Court struck down Article 44 as unconstitutional.

• A. 1 only
• B. 1 and 2 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. The conclusion that a Uniform Civil Code is 'neither necessary nor desirable at this stage' was reached in the 2018 consultation paper of the Law Commission of India chaired by whom?

• A. Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan
• B. Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi
• C. Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy
• D. Justice A.P. Shah

Q11. In exempting 'Scheduled Tribes' from its application, the Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand adopts the meaning of that expression assigned by which provision of the Constitution?

• A. Article 366(25)
• B. Article 366(24)
• C. Article 244(1)
• D. Article 371A

Q12. Goa's civil code — often cited as India's only territory-wide common civil code applicable across religions — is largely derived from which legal instrument?

• A. The Portuguese Civil Code of 1867
• B. The Portuguese Civil Code of 1966
• C. The Napoleonic Code of 1804
• D. The Indian Succession Act of 1925