The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to introduce a bill on Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the upcoming session of the Indian Parliament which is scheduled to begin next month.
India Today has reported quoting sources that it may be sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee which will hear the views of various stakeholders on the Uniform Civil Code.
The news agency quoted sources as saying that the monsoon session could begin in the third week of July.
The report on the UCC comes hours after the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) secretariat issued a public notice stating that a parliamentary panel will hear the views of the Department of Legal Affairs, the Legislative Department and the Law Commission on the UCC on July 3.
“Members are reminded that the next meeting of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice will be held on Monday, the 3rd July 2023 at 3 p.m. to hear the views of the representatives of the following organizations on public . Notice issued by Law Commission of India on Uniform Civil Code,” read the notice.
The UCC is a comprehensive set of laws common to all religions governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, custody, alimony and others. Its aim is to ensure equality among all religions.
Although the full form of the UCC is under debate, a reasonable idea is found in the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) of the Indian Constitution.
Part IV of the DPSP, which is not justiciable or enforceable before the courts of the country, plays a ‘fundamental’ role in governance.
Article 44 mentions that “the State shall endeavor to secure to the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India”.
The implementation of the UCC has been one of the election issues of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Although it has been debated often, it was not emphasized by the central government until PM Modi talked about implementing this rule in a recent gathering.
Addressing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in the city of Bhopal in the poll-bound state of Madhya Pradesh, Modi said the time has come to start a serious discussion on the subject.
He also hit out at opposition parties that supported the illegal triple talaq practice – which allowed a Muslim man to divorce his wife within minutes by simply saying “talaq” (talaq) three times – while calling for the UCC Strongly advocated
“Today people are being instigated in the name of UCC. How can the country run on two (laws)? The constitution also talks about equal rights…Supreme Court has also asked to implement UCC. These (opposition) people are playing vote bank politics,” he said.
“I think we should study this subject. I think those who support triple talaq are doing vote bank politics of appeasement,” Modi said in the run-up to the upcoming elections in the state and the general elections in 2024.