On 15th August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong case for a “Uniform Civil Code” (UCC) and called for the abolishment of outdated and discriminatory laws. Addressing the country on the 78th Independence Day from the iconic Red Fort, he referred to the UCC as the “need of the hour” and declared that communal and divisive laws should have no place in society.
“There should be discussions on the Uniform Civil Code. The present civil code appears to be communal. India needs a secular civil code. It is need of hour to have a secular civil code and do away with discriminatory communal civil code,” PM Modi stated in his first Independence Day speech after he returned to power for a historic third term.
He also brought up the Supreme Court for its support of UCC and conveyed, “The Supreme Court has repeatedly held discussions on uniform civil code, given orders several times. A large section of the country feels, and rightly so, that the current civil code is a communal civil code, a discriminatory civil code. The Constitution tells us, the Supreme Court tells us to and it was the dream of the Constitution makers. So it is our duty to fulfil it. There must be widespread discussions, everyone should come forward with their opinions and laws that divide the country on religious lines must be done away with. They have no place in a modern society. Time demands a secular civil code and then we will be free of religious discrimination.”
“The laws that divide the country on the basis of religion, the laws that become the reason for the discrimination, such laws should have no place in society,” he emphasised and added, “I would say that it is the need of the hour that there be a secular civil code in the country. We have spent 75 years in the communal civil code. Now, we will have to move towards the secular code. Only then would we be free of discrimination based on religion.” The nationwide implementation of the UCC has been an integral part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s agenda as reflected by its multiple manifestos and has already been rolled out in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand.
In a historic address, Prime Minister calls for India’s religion based communal civil code to be replaced by a secular civil code… The time is here and now. pic.twitter.com/xVSOd19iMT
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 15, 2024
The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India aims to replace the personal laws based on the scriptures and customs of each major religious community with a common set of rules governing every citizen. Its objective is to uphold equal rights and prohibit discrimination by guaranteeing that all citizens are subject to the same laws with regard to issues like adoption, divorce, inheritance, maintenance and marriage.
The UCC is envisioned as a component of the Directive Principles of State Policy under Article 44 of the Constitution. It motivates the government to work toward ensuring that every citizen has access to a consistent set of laws governing personal affairs. Supreme Court and high courts of different states have regularly emphasized the necessity of a UCC on multiple occasions, pointing to its potential to foster equality and national cohesion. Notably, PM Modi’s comments now demonstrate that the government intends to take steps in its present term to address this critical subject on a pan-India basis.
