Supreme Court sought a reply from the Centre on a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) seeking gender and religion-neutral uniform grounds of succession and inheritance for citizens in the country.
Uniform Civil Code (UCC) refers to a single law, applicable to all citizens of India in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, custody, adoption and inheritance.
- intended to replace the system of fragmented personal laws
- Article 44 ‘State shall endeavor to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India’ DPSPS
Way ahead
- Evolution of consensus: Effective Information, Education and Communication about the significance of an UCC and Article 44
- Reform of personal laws: preserve the diversity of personal laws while ensuring that they do not contradict the fundamental rights. 2018 the Law Commission of India noted that ‘a UCC is neither necessary nor desirable at this stage’ in the country. However, the Commission suggests certain measures in marriage and divorce that should be uniformly accepted in the personal laws of all religions
- Model UCC embodying what is best in all personal laws. It must be a synthesis of the good in our diverse personal laws.
Therefore, a unified code is imperative, both for protection of the oppressed and for promotion of national unity and solidarity.