NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of the 22nd Law Commission’s decision to look at the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) afresh, a parliamentary panel on July 3 will hear views of the Department of Legal Affairs, the Legislative Department and the Law Commission in the matter.
“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 3 pm on Monday, 3rd July 2023, to hear the views of representatives of the following organisations on public notice issued by the Law Commission of India on the Uniform Civil Code,” Rajya Sabha Secretariat stated in a public notice dated June 28.
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.
“Soon after the 30-day period, the consultations will start individually and wider discussions are required on the subject. We will hold meetings with the concerned religious groups, women’s groups and other organisations. We will have discussions with all stakeholders. It cannot be done in a day or two, it is going to be a time-consuming process,” he said, adding that the PM’s pitch for UCC in Bhopal has nothing to do with the panel’s work.
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.”
According to sources, Awasthi will not attend the meeting. Another member of the Law Commission would attend the meeting on his behalf, they said. “The 21st Law Commission did not make any consultation paper on the creation of UCC. Their work suggested amendments in the existing personal laws on a few subjects such as marriage, divorce and inheritance, among others. They also highlighted disparities in various family laws,” he said.
The 21st Law Commission, in its 2018 consultation paper, had suggested that UCC was “neither necessary nor desirable at this stage”. It said that amendments should be made to family laws of various religions to make them gender-just. It also said that women must be guaranteed their freedom of faith without any compromise on their right to equality.