New Delhi: Even as the term of the 22nd Law Commission comes to an end on Saturday, the key report on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is still being worked upon.

In the absence of a Chairperson, the report on UCC is believed to be delayed. The outgoing Commission last year, had initiated fresh consultations on UCC.

However, a report on simultaneous elections is said to be ready but cannot be submitted. A high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind presented a report on ‘One Nation, One Election’ in March.

The Chairperson’s position fell vacant after (retired) Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi was appointed to the Lok Pal, the anti-corruption watchdog, in March this year.

In the absence of a Chairperson, the report cannot be submitted.

In his Independence Day speech this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that a common code, which he called a “secular civil code” is the need of the hour for India. He also dubbed the existing set of laws as “communal civil code,” calling them discriminatory in nature.