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| Source- Telegraph India |
That is why we together will understand the whole agenda without any personal biases.
What Is Uniform Civil Code?
India being a country with great cultural diversity and religious pluralism has different set of rules for personal practices like marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance. These laws are in accordance with people’s religious and cultural beliefs.
Like for the Hindu community they have their personal laws for marriage and inheritance i.e. The Hindu Marriage Act 1955 and The Hindu Succession Act 1956. Similarly for all the other communities they have their own personal laws based on their customs and beliefs.
Hence with the implementation of UCC there will be common set of rules for all the citizens regarding these personal practices irrespective of their religious backgrounds.
What is the reason for its Widespread Discussion ?
Now having understood the meaning, let us dive deeper into understanding that why this became the most talked about topic of India despite its early mentions in Indian politics. The reason I believe are the upcoming elections and the claims by the oppositions that this is going to be the main agenda in the manifesto of the existing ruling party Bhartiya Janata Party.
These speculations are being made as PM Narendra Modi at the event for their booth level workers “Mera booth sbse masboot”, held at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, emphasized an ardent need of a common law for personal practices like marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance for the entire country as in his view just like a house cannot work with different rules for each member, a country cannot be run effectively with different rules for its citizens.
After this announcement by PM Narendra Modi, opposition parties and several religious groups came into action and started protesting proactively. The opposition party saw this as an opportunity and without properly analyzing the uniform civil code they started misleading the masses by passing false statements and narratives that it nothing else but a Hindu Code which consequently instigated the minority groups against the implementation of UCC in India.
Hence just to satisfy their political desires the opposition parties have connected yet another decision with religious sentiments. And we as a country are manipulated into looking at it as a religious topic and not as something it really is.
Analyzing Uniform Civil Code in India
Now, as I said, we will be rational and away from our personal biases. So strictly following that, it is necessary to accept that everything has duality in it. As there is no rain without rainbows, the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code of India comes with its own merits and demerits.
Demerits of Uniform Civil Code
The first reason that I have come up with for you guys is that there is no draft being made yet, and there is no clarity on what basis the government is planning to bring uniformity.
The above reason is a base for another reason, i.e., communal tensions. The fact that there is no draft gives the opposition parties the opportunity to create false narratives and divert the masses from reality.
The implementation of UCC might overlap with the right to freedom of religion for citizens, which we all know is a very sensitive topic for the whole of India. And if the government deliberately ignores this factor, then UCC can definitely go wrong.
The reason for the risk of secularism holds the greatest importance for all of us. If the government fails to make it neutral and ignores the significance of parity for all religions by giving importance to any one religion, then implementation of the UCC will be a big mishap and it will lose its true meaning.
Merits of Uniform Civil Code
Now the reason why UCC should be implemented are the benefits, like equal rights for all citizens despite their religious backgrounds.
The main reason is the revival of the forgotten rights of women in society. If UCC is implemented, it will create uniform rights to marriage, adoption, divorce, and, importantly, inheritance for all the citizens and this time gender will be no bar, unlike the ones in the personal laws of all the religions.
Looking at past cases related to personal matters, mainly divorce, personal laws have left ambiguity, because of which the Supreme Court has asked the government to implement UCC. So yes, the merit is that the implementation of UCC solves the confusion in such cases.
Way Forward
We all might agree that uniformity should be on the basis of age of marriage, the right to equal inheritance, allowing women to adopt, and a justified process of divorce, along with ensuring the protection of India’s secularism.
India, along with its commitment to ensure secularism, is also committed to ensuring human rights and gender rights, and these cannot be neglected anymore.
And if the government successfully drafts the law that does not hurt people’s religious beliefs and at the same time fulfils the main motive of equal status for everyone, the implementation of UCC in India can become a landmark decision, making India a more equal and constitutional country.
Now having understood the meaning, let us dive deeper into understanding that why this became the most talked about topic of India despite its early mentions in Indian politics. The reason I believe are the upcoming elections and the claims by the oppositions that this is going to be the main agenda in the manifesto of the existing ruling party Bhartiya Janata Party.
These speculations are being made as PM Narendra Modi at the event for their booth level workers “Mera booth sbse masboot”, held at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, emphasized an ardent need of a common law for personal practices like marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance for the entire country as in his view just like a house cannot work with different rules for each member, a country cannot be run effectively with different rules for its citizens.
After this announcement by PM Narendra Modi, opposition parties and several religious groups came into action and started protesting proactively. The opposition party saw this as an opportunity and without properly analyzing the uniform civil code they started misleading the masses by passing false statements and narratives that it nothing else but a Hindu Code which consequently instigated the minority groups against the implementation of UCC in India.
Hence just to satisfy their political desires the opposition parties have connected yet another decision with religious sentiments. And we as a country are manipulated into looking at it as a religious topic and not as something it really is.
Analyzing Uniform Civil Code in India
Now, as I said, we will be rational and away from our personal biases. So strictly following that, it is necessary to accept that everything has duality in it. As there is no rain without rainbows, the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code of India comes with its own merits and demerits.
Demerits of Uniform Civil Code
The first reason that I have come up with for you guys is that there is no draft being made yet, and there is no clarity on what basis the government is planning to bring uniformity.
The above reason is a base for another reason, i.e., communal tensions. The fact that there is no draft gives the opposition parties the opportunity to create false narratives and divert the masses from reality.
The implementation of UCC might overlap with the right to freedom of religion for citizens, which we all know is a very sensitive topic for the whole of India. And if the government deliberately ignores this factor, then UCC can definitely go wrong.
The reason for the risk of secularism holds the greatest importance for all of us. If the government fails to make it neutral and ignores the significance of parity for all religions by giving importance to any one religion, then implementation of the UCC will be a big mishap and it will lose its true meaning.
Merits of Uniform Civil Code
Now the reason why UCC should be implemented are the benefits, like equal rights for all citizens despite their religious backgrounds.
The main reason is the revival of the forgotten rights of women in society. If UCC is implemented, it will create uniform rights to marriage, adoption, divorce, and, importantly, inheritance for all the citizens and this time gender will be no bar, unlike the ones in the personal laws of all the religions.
Looking at past cases related to personal matters, mainly divorce, personal laws have left ambiguity, because of which the Supreme Court has asked the government to implement UCC. So yes, the merit is that the implementation of UCC solves the confusion in such cases.
Way Forward
We all might agree that uniformity should be on the basis of age of marriage, the right to equal inheritance, allowing women to adopt, and a justified process of divorce, along with ensuring the protection of India’s secularism.
India, along with its commitment to ensure secularism, is also committed to ensuring human rights and gender rights, and these cannot be neglected anymore.
And if the government successfully drafts the law that does not hurt people’s religious beliefs and at the same time fulfils the main motive of equal status for everyone, the implementation of UCC in India can become a landmark decision, making India a more equal and constitutional country.
Written By- Priyal Sharma
Edited By- Akshita Bist
Edited By- Akshita Bist
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