Law Commission will accept comments from the public and religious organisations through July 13; 8.5 million responses have been received so far
The Law Commission has set a deadline of July 13 for input from all stakeholders, including citizens and registered religious bodies, on the politically delicate topic after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong push for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
“Law Commission of India has put it in the public domain, 13th July is the last date, should wait until then,” stated Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, the chairperson of the Law Commission, had earlier said that the panel had received 8.5 lakh replies since June 14, when they began a public consultation process on the subject.
Reactions under the Uniform Civil Code
A political brawl has broken out in the nation as a result of PM Modi’s ardent support for the UCC, which is basically a single set of rules that are applicable to all Indian residents and deal with personal concerns such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption.
Others, like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), extended their support and stated the code should be introduced with a consensus after thorough talks with stakeholders. Some opposition party leaders, including the Congress, said that the effort was merely a political ploy. This suggested that despite current attempts to establish opposition unity ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year, the opposition parties may not be in agreement on the matter.
Aam Aadmi Party and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), two parties that attended the opposition parties summit in Patna, have so far indicated support for the UCC.
Sanjay Raut, the head of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), said that his party has traditionally supported the adoption of the Uniform Civil Code.
According to Raut, “We support the idea of a uniform civil code,” he said to The Hindu on Wednesday. However, Prime Minister Modi’s most recent campaign is a political gimmick intended for the next general elections rather than an effort to bring about the UCC [Uniform Civil Code]. We will have to sit down and think about it in light of his comments.
Farooq Abdullah, head of the National Conference, said on Thursday that the Centre should reconsider the effects of adopting the Uniform Civil Code rather than pressing on with it.
“They need to reconsider. After leading Eid-ul-Azha prayers at Hazratbal, Abdullah addressed the media. “This is a diverse nation; people of different races and religions live here, and Muslims have their own shariah law,” he said.
What conclusions did the prior Law Commission draw?
Although the richness of Indian culture may and should be appreciated, the consultation paper of the 21st Law Commission, led by Justice B S Chauhan (ret. ), said that some groups or weaker sectors of the society must not be “dis-privileged” in the process.
According to the consultation document, the majority of nations are now moving towards recognising diversity, and the sheer fact that difference exists does not entail prejudice but rather is a sign of a strong democracy.
The BJP has long had the implementation of the law on its election agenda. A unified code is already being developed in Uttarakhand. If elected, the BJP has pledged to implement a UCC in Karnataka. According to PTI, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh backed Modi’s push for the code’s adoption and accused the opposition parties of attempting to introduce a sectarian aspect.
