Will Sabarimala Case Pave Way For Uniform Civil Code? Call For 9-Judge Bench |
Will Sabarimala Case Pave Way For Uniform Civil Code? Call For 9-Judge Bench
Updated: Apr 30, 2026 23:58 pm IST Published On Apr 30, 2026 23:55 pm IST Last Updated On Apr 30, 2026 23:58 pm IST
Published On Apr 30, 2026 23:55 pm IST
Last Updated On Apr 30, 2026 23:58 pm IST
The Constitution's Article 44 promises a Uniform Civil Code, which provides for harmonious laws for marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and other family matters across the country.
Currently, all communities are governed by their personal laws. Most of these are codified like the Hindu Personal law, but some remain problematically uncodified -- like the Muslim Personal Law.
A Uniform Civil Code was the dream of the Constitution makers. While Article 44 was introduced and passed the same day, a few Muslim members wanted to amend it to leave room for the communities' discretion to allow the UCC to prevail over personal laws.
During the debate that followed, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, India's first law minister and the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of Constitution, had said: "I am afraid I cannot accept the amendments which have been moved to this Article... My friend, Mr Hussain Imam, in rising to support the amendments, asked whether it was possible and desirable to have a uniform code of laws for a country so vast as this. Now I must confess that I was very much surprised at that statement, for the simple........