On June 29, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice called a meeting on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) during which it said it will hear the views of stakeholders. The committee led by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi informed all the 31 MPs and members of the committee that their views on UCC would be sought and considered at the meeting 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 03.00 PM on July 3, 2023,” read a release on the committee’s agenda. Further, the committee stated, “To hear the views of representatives of the following organisations on public notice issued by the Law Commission of India on June 14, 2023, inviting views from the various stakeholders on the Uniform Civil Code, under the subject ‘Review of Personal Laws’.”
Putting forward a strong argument in favour of uniform laws for people across communities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 27 said the country cannot be run with “two laws” when the Constitution talks about equality for all.
“Will a family function if there are two different sets of rules for the members? How will a country run then? Our Constitution, too, guarantees equal rights to all irrespective of religion caste and creed,” PM Modi said.
The consultations by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice come days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for UCC at a BJP rally in Madhya Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Law Commission Chairman Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, speaking exclusively to this newspaper, said that every relevant personal law will be considered by the commission. The commission on June 14 invited views from the public and recognised religious organisations on the issue within 30 days.
The Uniform Civil Code is a proposal in India to formulate and implement personal laws of citizens which apply to all citizens equally regardless of their religion, sex, gender and sexual orientation.
The decision on UCC was taken by the Law Commission after taking into consideration the relevance and importance of UCC and the various court orders pertaining to it. Speaking to this paper, Sushil Kumar Modi, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, said, “The meeting is being called to understand the issues involved regarding the UCC and to discuss the consultation paper issued by the 21st Law Commission on August 31, 2018.”
Currently, the personal laws of various communities are governed by their religious scriptures.
Also, on June 14, the Law Commission of India solicited the views and ideas of the public and recognised religious organisations to examine the Uniform Civil Code.
(with inputs from ANI)
