After Article 370 And Ayodhya, Will Uniform Civil Code Be Next In The Agenda Of Modi Government?

Almost six months into his second term in office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be in a rush to deliver some of the key election promises his Bharatiya Janata Party has made.

The first was the abrogation of Article 370, something that the BJP had promised for long, but few ever expected it to happen. But it all changed on August 5, when Home Minister Amit Shah stood up in the Rajya Sabha to announce that Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir has been abrogated and the state has been bifurcated into two union territories.

Now, armed with the Supreme Court's order in favor of the Hindus, the Modi government is all set to fulfill, probably its biggest election promise - the construction of the Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. With the SC on Saturday ruling that the land will be given to Hindus and a trust will be set up for the construction, the building of the temple is a matter of when and not if.

AP

Since Saturday there have been many speculations on what is next on the agenda of BJP, ranging from NRC to Uniform Civil Code to implementing a two-child policy. Out of these, the Uniform Civil Code seems to be high on the agenda. On Saturday, hours after the Ayodhya Verdict, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh gave an indication of the same.

¡°Aa gaya Samay (Time Has come),¡± Singh told reporters when asked about the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

BCCL/ FILE

The Delhi High Court on Monday will hear a bunch of petitions seeking implementation of the UCC. A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Harishankar will hear the matter on November 15.

The UCC would put in place a set of laws to govern the personal matters of the citizen irrespective of their religion.

In May, the court had asked the Centre and the Law Commission to file their affidavit on the PIL regarding the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code.

What is the Uniform Civil Code?

It is prescribed under Directive Principles of State Policy in Article 44 which states "The State shall endeavor to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India."

It is aimed at setting up one single law for all Indian citizens across religions in matters like marriage, inheritance, property, family, adoption, etc.

This, however, does not mean that it limits the freedom of people to follow their respective religious beliefs and customs. It simply means that every individual is supposed to be treated equally under one law.