Following up on its commitment made in the Supreme Court, the Central government, led by the Law Commission, initiated a process of giving notice to all Indian citizens, religious and social institutions, groups, communities, agencies and representatives of any and all interests, to submit their viewpoints to it on the creation and implementation of a uniform civil code (UCC).
Earlier last year, the Centre had pointed out in the apex court that it was a part of the Directive Principles of State Policy, and the Constitution had thus put an obligation on the Union government to try to implement a uniform civil code.
The government even said in the highest court that different laws governing civil and personal matters such as matrimony, divorce, property, taxation on income and definition of the family, among others, was an “affront” to national unity.
The UCC, along with a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and abrogation of Article 370, also embodies one of the lifelong political goals of the ruling BJP, and it would be a historic achievement if it were to be actually fulfilled in a culmination of its political work over decades, all in a single Lok Sabha term.
Interestingly, it is supported by secular and liberal values all across the world, but in India, there is an ironic reversal — with several secular and liberal parties, groups and individuals opposing it, and a more conservative party advocating for its adoption.
However, a UCC that India drafts must be beyond politics, even as its very espousal, or opposition, is political, equally because it will impact every single citizen alive, even the unborn. Therefore, only sociological, cultural, scientific and legal considerations must be factored into its formulation.
Most significantly, beyond the legal work, the government must initiate efforts to create a common consensus amongst citizens and prepare the nation for its implementation. But the uniform civil code must be brought in and seen as a platform for uniting the people of the nation to follow a commonly aligned value system in order to create a great future.
