Nine months before a general election, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have dusted off a potentially divisive plan to enact a common set of personal laws for all, irrespective of religion. Currently, India's Hindus, Muslims, Christians and large tribal populations follow their own personal laws and customs, alongside an optional secular code, for marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance. The Law Commission, a government-appointed advisory body, has sought public opinion by Friday on creating a Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday targeted the Congress and other opposition parties over the Uniform Civil Code issue and asked them to "listen to their conscience" and refrain from communal politics.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) got into a huddle to build its case against a Uniform Civil Code, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for a common law for all communities.
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Congress leader P Chidambaram said it cannot be forced on people by an "agenda-driven majoritarian government" as it will "widen divisions" among people.
The Act currently does not contain provisions about confidentiality. The Law Commission considered whether the Act should provide a default rule that arbitrations are confidential, with a list of exceptions.