India: Uniform Civil Code bill likely to be tabled in upcoming monsoon session of parliament, says report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is likely to introduce a bill on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the upcoming session of Indian Parliament which is set to begin next month.

India Today reported quoting sources that the bill might be sent to the parliamentary standing committee which will hear the views of various stakeholders on the Uniform Civil Code.

PTI news agency quoting sources said that the monsoon session of the parliament may begin in the third week of July.

The report on UCC comes hours after Rajya Sabha (upper house) Secretariat issued a public notice stating that a parliamentary panel will hear views of the Department of Legal Affairs, the Legislative Department and the Law Commission on UCC on July 3.

“Members are reminded that the next meeting of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice will be held at 3 pm on Monday, 3rd July 2023, to hear the views of representatives of the following organisations on public notice issued by the Law Commission of India on the Uniform Civil Code,” the notice read.

Uniform Civil Code

UCC is a comprehensive set of common laws for all religions governing personal matters like marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, custody, alimony and others. It aims at ensuring equality among all religions.

Although the complete form of UCC is under debate, a fair idea finds a mention in the Indian Constitution’s Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).

Part IV of the DPSP, which is not justiciable or enforceable before the courts of the country, plays a ‘fundamental’ role in the governance.

Article 44 mentions the "state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India".

Modi’s push

Implementing UCC has been one of the poll planks of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Though it has come up for a debate often, the push from the central government wasn’t visible until PM Modi talked about implementing the rule in a recent gathering.

Addressing workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the election-bound Madhya Pradesh state’s Bhopal city, Modi said that it was high time that serious discussions begin around the topic.

He also singled out the opposition parties who supported the outlawed triple talaq practice—which allowed a Muslim man to divorce his wife in minutes just by saying "talaq" (divorce) three times—while making a fervent pitch for UCC.

“Today people are being instigated in the name of UCC. How can the country run on two (laws)? The Constitution also talks of equal rights...Supreme Court has also asked to implement UCC. These (opposition) people are playing vote bank politics,” he said.

"I feel we should study this subject. I feel those who support triple talaq are doing vote bank politics of appeasement,” Modi said, setting the tone for the upcoming elections in the state and the impending general elections in 2024.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE