The All India Muslim Personal Law Board held an emergency meeting yesterday night to discuss the Uniform Civil Code, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said should be implemented nationwide.
Prime Minister Modi, at a speech in Bhopal, made a strong pitch for the UCC saying that even the Constitution mentions equal rights for all citizens.
PM Modi said the BJP has decided it would not adopt the path of appeasement and vote bank politics and alleged that the Opposition is using the issue of UCC to mislead and provoke the Muslim community.
Uniform Civil Code refers to a set of overarching laws that apply to everyone in the country and replaces religion-based personal laws, rules of inheritance, adoption and succession.
The Muslim law board’s meeting was held virtually and lasted for about three hours. They discussed the legal aspects of UCC along with PM Modi’s remarks.
The board has decided to submit a draft on the matter to the law commission after taking into account the points made by lawyers and experts.
In September last year, a private member’s Bill that seeks to provide for a panel to prepare a Uniform Civil Code was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in face of great resistance by opposition parties. In the past, although similar bills were listed for introduction, they were not moved in the Upper House.
Earlier this month, the law commission started a fresh consultation process on the Uniform Civil Code, seeking views from all stakeholders on the politically sensitive issue.
With inputs from NDTV