Muslim law board to submit draft opposing UCC to law panel

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) got into a huddle to build its case against a Uniform Civil Code, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for a common law for all communities.

The Board held a meeting Tuesday night through video conferencing in which the draft document to be submitted to the Law Commission was discussed, according to AIMPLB member Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli.

Addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Bhopal on Tuesday, Modi called for implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and said the Constitution also mentions about giving equal rights to all citizens.

He also said that the BJP has decided it would not adopt the path of appeasement and vote bank politics, and alleged that the Opposition was using the issue of UCC to mislead and provoke the Muslim community.

On Wednesday, Mahli, however, said the AIMPLB meeting was a routine one and that it should not be linked to the the prime minister’s statement on UCC.

He further said July 14 is the last day for filing of objections and “we have got down to discussing the matter”. “Our stand is that UCC is against the spirit of the Constitution and we will oppose it strongly,” the AIMPLB member underlined.

“India is a country where many religions and cultures are followed. So, the UCC is not only going to affect the Muslims, but also the Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Jews, Parsis and other miniscule minorities,” he added.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday extended its “in-principle support” to a Uniform Civil Code but said it should be brought in with a consensus after extensive consultations with stakeholders.

The government should hold extensive consultations on the proposal with all stakeholders, including political parties and non-political entities, AAP national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak said.

“The AAP supports UCC in principle. Article 44 (of the Constitution) also supports it,” Pathak said.

But the government should bring in UCC only when there is a consensus among the stakeholders, he said.

“We believe that on such issues we should go ahead with consensus. We believe that this (UCC) should be implemented only after there is a consensus among all the stakeholders,” Pathak said.

Amid a raging debate over the issue of Uniform Civil Code, Law Commission Chairman Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi on Wednesday said the panel has received 8.5 lakh responses within just two weeks of initiating a public consultation process on the matter.

The Law Commission had on June 14 invited views from all stakeholders, including people and recognised religious organisations, on the politically sensitive issue.