The Law Commission of India has requested new recommendations for the Uniform Civil Code from civic and religious groups.
In accordance with a statement posted on the website of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the 21st law commission had examined the topic of UCC and had requested opinions from all parties through an appeal and questionnaire on July 10, 2016, as well as additional public notices on March 19, March 27, and April 10, 2018.
“Since more than three years have lapsed from the date of issuance of the said consultation paper, bearing in mind the relevance and importance of the subject and also the various court orders on the subject, the 22nd Law Commission considered it expedient to deliberate afresh over the subject,” the panel said.
In August 2018, the 21st Law Commission, presided over by Justice B.S. Chauhan, a former judge on the Supreme Court, declared that the UCC “is neither necessary nor desirable at this stage” in the nation.
Cultural Diversity
The commission had emphasized that secularism could not conflict with the plurality present in the nation in a 185-page consultation document on the matter.
It had stated that “cultural diversity cannot be compromised to the point where our desire for uniformity poses a threat to the territorial integrity of the country.”
A united nation did not necessarily need to be “uniform,” the panel continued, and “efforts have to be made to reconcile our diversity with universal and indisputable arguments on human rights.”
The government’s highest legal advisory council stated that while some divorce and marriage rules should be universally accepted by all religions, differences do not always entail discrimination in a healthy democracy.
No decision on UCC now
The country’s implementation of the Uniform Civil Code has not yet been decided by the government, Kiren Rijiju, the country’s former law minister, stated in February of this year’s Rajya Sabha.
In response to a question on whether the government intended to enact the UCC bill, Rijiju stated that the 22nd law commission might take up the issue for discussion.
Additionally, he stated that the government had asked the 21st Law Commission of India to examine different UCC-related issues and offer recommendations.
