What is Uniform Civil Code? Constitutional provisions, arguments | Explained

Addressing BJP booth workers in Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Uniform Civil Code on Tuesday, hinting that the government may prioritise the long-pending subject ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. A Uniform Civil Code is conceptualised as a set of laws that govern personal matters, including marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession, for all citizens regardless of their religion. II) Over the following years, various interventions by the legislature, judiciary, and civil society organisations have aimed to amend personal laws or establish a uniform civil code. II) The Law Commission, which was headed by former Supreme Court judge BS Chauhan, observed: "Cultural diversity cannot be compromised to the extent that our urge for uniformity itself becomes a reason for threat to the territorial integrity of the nation.” III) While agreeing that various aspects of prevailing personal laws disprivilege women, the Commission however said that “it is discrimination and not difference which lies at the root of inequality.” IV) It added that efforts have to be made to reconcile our diversity with universal and indisputable arguments on human rights.