Law Commission of India (LCI) issues notice seeking views of public, religious bodies on Uniform Civil Code
Stakeholders asked to send in their views within 30 days. This is the second time the commission has taken such an initiative in 7 years.
New Delhi: The Law Commission of India (LCI) Wednesday issued a public notice to solicit views and opinions on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). According to the notice, the “public at large” and “recognised religious organisations” can send their views about the UCC within 30 days. Submissions can also be made in the form of consultations/discussions or working papers on any of the issues pertaining to the code.
“If need be, the commission may call upon any individual or organisation for a personal hearing or discussion,” read the notice issued by the 22nd Law Commission of India headed by Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi (retd).
The UCC, a directive principle under the Constitution, is meant to be a single set of personal laws that would apply to all citizens equally.
Introducing the UCC has been a long-standing agenda of the BJP and its ideological fountainhead, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The RSS has always maintained that it is needed in order to foster an “inclusive India”.
Two BJP-ruled states — Gujarat and Uttarakhand — have already formed respective committees to look into the implementation of the UCC. The Assam government has also shown commitment to implement it, and the BJP had promised to implement UCC in its election manifesto for Karnataka.
This is the second time the Law Commission has invited the opinion of “stakeholders” on the UCC. The body had taken up the matter on the basis of a reference sent to it in 2016 by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.
Initially, the 21st Law Commission had issued an “appeal” along with a questionnaire in October 2016. Three more public notices were issued in 2018 — twice in March and once in April. According to the Wednesday notice, the commission had then received “overwhelming responses”, following which a consultation paper on ‘Reforms of Family Law’ was released in August 2018. (Agencies)
