Due to the "relevance and importance" of the subject, as well as several court rulings on the subject, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the Law Commission has begun new discussions on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
The Law Minister stated in a written response to a question that the 21st Law Commission produced a consultation paper on "Reform of Family Law" on August 31, 2018, but did not submit any report on the subject.
On June 14, the 22nd Law Commission launched a new consultation process, soliciting input from stakeholders — including the general public and recognized religious organizations — on the politically contentious issue of a UCC. Though the original submission deadline was July 15, the panel has now extended it to July 28.
A UCC would enact common personal laws for all citizens of the country that are not religiously oriented. A common code is likely to cover personal laws such as inheritance, adoption, and succession. Currently, followers of many major religions are subject to separate personal laws.
The BJP's electoral manifestos included a commitment to introduce a UCC. In BJP-ruled Uttarakhand, a group was formed to write a single code, which is anticipated to provide a draft law soon.
An MP inquired whether the government planned to alter the language of operation of the courts from English to Hindi so that regular people could comprehend the proceedings in their own language as part of a query on the issue of UCC. The Law Minister replied in the negative in his written response.
