Nagpur: As the Article 44 of the Indian Constitution provides that ‘the state shall endeavour to provide for its citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India’, the Law Commission of India through its chairman Justice Dr. B S Chauhan has invited suggestions via appeal dated 7.10.2016 to be submitted within 45 days on all possible models and templates of a common civil code through a questionnaire from general public to solicit opinions and ideas of the public at large about the ways in which family law reforms could be introduced in the most integrative manner that does not compromise the diversity and the plurality that constitutes the core of India’s social fabric.
The Commission hopes to begin a healthy conversation about the viability of a uniform civil code and will focus on family laws of all religions and the diversity of customary practices, to address social injustice rather than plurality of laws. Responding to the demands of social change, the Commission will consider the opinions of all stake-holders and the general public for ensuring that the norms of no one class, group or community dominate the tone or tenor of family law reforms. Family law reform, inter-alia has to view women’s rights as an end in itself rather than a matter of constitutional provisions, religious rights and political debate alone.
Taking this issue in public interest, local NGO, Vidarbha Taxpayers Association (VTA) discussed this issue and decided to support this call of having uniform civil code (UCC) in our country; thereby dispatching memorandum & email on lci-dla@nic.in to Law Commission of India, so that equality prevail in true sense.
Shrawankumar Malu, vice president of VTA, by all means we are proud that so many religion and castes makes India; however its high time that to save time to avail justice, to prevail equality, women’s rights and similar, uniform civil code be enacted at the earliest.
Tejinder Singh Renu, secretary of VTA said we are very well aware of Article 44 of the Constitution of India. Presently various religious denominations are governed by personal laws and customary practices in India on matters of family law, like Marriage, Divorce, Adoption, Guardianship and Child custody, Maintenance, Successions and Inheritance; for sake of equality they should be included in UCC and it should not be optional, likewise practices like Polygamy & Polyandry be banned. Further marriage registration should be implemented better by sensitizing the society.
Members present were VTA joint secretaries Hemant Trivedi and Pravin M. Agrawal; executive body members Amarjeet Singh Chawla, Rajesh Kanoongo, Saqib Parekh, Rohit Kanoongo, Govind Patel, CA Hemant Sarda, Haribhai Patel, Viru Balani, Narendra Kumar Agrawal, Harmanjeet Singh Baweja, Manish Chhalany and Bhagwan Khandwani.
