During raging discussions surrounding the adoption of a Uniform Civil Code in the nation, t the Uttarakhand Civil Code Draft is reported to serve as the model for the law to be enacted by the Central government.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recently had a significant meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday night to discuss the Uniform Civil Code.
Image source: PTI
During this meeting, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, who chairs the Uttarakhand UCC Drafting Committee, was also in attendance, according to the same sources.
Mr Dhami stated on Sunday that the expert committee tasked with examining the Uniform Civil Code will soon present the draft.
In his tweet on June 30th, Mr Dhami mentioned that in line with the commitment made to the people of the state, the committee responsible for preparing the draft of the Uniform Civil Code has successfully concluded its work. Consequently, the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is on the horizon. He expressed his patriotic sentiments with the phrases “Jai Hind, Jai Uttarakhand!”
During the 2022 assembly elections in the state, the BJP included the promise of introducing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in its manifesto. The implementation of a UCC has been a recurring theme in BJP’s election manifestos. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the importance of a UCC while addressing BJP workers in Bhopal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his concern about people being incited using the issue. He questioned the practicality of running a country with two different sets of laws, highlighting the need for a unified legal framework.
As part of their commitment to this promise, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met with Prime Minister Modi and conveyed that the UCC will soon be put into action.
Formulating a Uniform Civil Code essentially calls for a unified set of laws that governs the entire nation and would thus apply to the diverse bodies of religious and ethnic communities in India in matters such as divorce, inheritance, and adoption.
PM Modi also mentioned that the Supreme Court has called for the implementation of the UCC. He accused the Opposition of indulging in vote bank politics, implying that some political parties might be exploiting the issue for electoral gains rather than pursuing the goal of enacting a Uniform Civil Code.
Muslim board conducted an emergency meeting following Modi’s Uniform Civil Code pitch in Bhopal
Following Modi’s Uniform Civil Code pitch in Bhopal, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) convened an online emergency meeting on 27 June 2024 to discuss the nationwide implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). During this meeting, the AIMPLB decided to oppose the implementation of the UCC across the country.
In a meeting of the Congress’s Parliamentary Strategy Group, which was presided over by Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and attended by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and other senior leaders, it was discussed that the party should not oppose essential reforms in personal laws, including “equality of inheritance.”
However, it was also noted that the majority of the party’s leaders and members still maintain the view that the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) could be perceived as a threat to the diverse cultural fabric of the country. The concern is that a uniform code might not account for the unique customs and practices of different religious communities in India.
