“Fictitious uniformity damages diversity”: RJD’s Manoj Jha on Uniform Civil Code

Patna (Bihar) [India], January 31 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP, Manoj Kumar Jha on Tuesday said that the Uniform Civil Code should not be used as a tool as fictitious uniformity damages diversity.

Notably, the Uttarakhand government will present the Uniform Civil Code Bill in the state assembly in February during a special session.

Manoj Jha told ANI “I suggest them (Uttarakhand government) to refer to the recommendations made by the 15th Law Commission. UCC should not be used as a tool. India is a diverse country. Fictitious uniformity damages diversity.”

Earlier, Uttarakhand CM Dhami also informed that the UCC Committee had completed its work and they would submit their draft (on UCC) to us on February 2.

“The committee has given us the date of February 2, when they would submit their draft (on UCC) to us. After that, the formalities that are needed to make it law will be taken up. A meeting of the state cabinet will also be held. We will discuss it there too. The assembly session will begin on 5th February…It is a special session for UCC. The Bill will be introduced during the session and will be passed,” Dhami told ANI.

The Uttarakhand Assembly session will be held from February 5 to 8, according to a notification by the Secretariat of the Assembly. Apart from this, the government will also present a bill in the House for a 10 per cent horizontal reservation in government services for the state agitators and their dependents.

Uttarakhand had constituted a panel on the Uniform Civil Code under Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai on May 27, 2022. The UCC was promised to the people of the state in the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls in Uttarakhand.

Article 44 of the Constitution of India says that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) throughout the territory of India.

The UCC proposes a common set of laws dealing with marriage, inheritance, adoption, and other matters. The UCC, which had been a hot topic that had polarised opinions over the last four years, hit the forefront in June last year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong case for the implementation of uniform legislation in an address in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal.