New Delhi, June 28: Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong plea for the implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country, India’s apex Muslim body All India Muslim Personal Law Council held an emergency meeting late yesterday (Tuesday).
Addressing BJP workers in Bhopal yesterday (Tuesday), Prime Minister Modi said that two laws cannot work in the same country. The Constitution mentions equal rights for all citizens and the Supreme Court rulings have asserted that uniform laws have been called for. He also said that Muslims are being provoked by parties that favor vote bank politics and BJP will not follow the path of appeasement.
A meeting of the Muslim Law Council was held after Prime Minister Modi’s statement. The meeting was held late last night for about three hours and it is said that they discussed the legal aspects of the UCC in the context of Prime Minister Modi’s statements of prioritizing the agenda which is part of the BJP manifesto. Also, the Muslim body has decided to submit its views to the Law Commission taking into account the points given by lawyers and experts
The Law Commission has launched a fresh consultation process on the Uniform Civil Code, seeking views from various stakeholders amid reports that the government is planning to bring out a draft bill soon. The Uniform Civil Code refers to a comprehensive set of laws that apply to everyone in the country and replace religion-based personal laws, rules of inheritance, adoption and succession.
In September last year, a private member’s bill providing for a committee to prepare a Uniform Civil Code was tabled in the Rajya Sabha amid strong opposition from opposition parties. In the past, similar bills have been listed for introduction but have not been tabled in the upper house.
How can one member of a household have one law and another member another law? Will the house be able to function? So how is the country able to function with such a dual system? The Prime Minister said that it should be remembered that the Constitution also mentions equal rights for all.
