Gujarat sets UCC rolling, picks same head as Uttarakhand for panel

Announcing the committee, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that it would taxable its study wrong 45 days. His authorities was committed to fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resoluteness of implementing UCC crossed the country, helium said, adding: “We each are citizens of specified a large federation wherever ‘Bharatiyata (Indianness)’ is our religion, and the Constitution our beatified book. The Constitution guides america each to execute our ‘nagrik dharma (duties arsenic a citizen)’.”

Apart from Justice Desai, different members of the committee are retired IAS serviceman C L Meena, advocator R C Kodekar, erstwhile vice-chancellor of Veer Narmad South Gujarat University Dakshesh Thakar and societal idiosyncratic Gita Shroff.

Uttarakhand became the archetypal authorities successful the state to implement a UCC a week ago. Unlike Uttarakhand, though, Gujarat has important numbers of some Muslims (around 9% of the population) and tribals (about 14%) – 2 groups which are astir apprehensive of a azygous instrumentality overruling their idiosyncratic laws and customs.

In Uttarakhand, tribals were exempted from the authorities UCC, and Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said that Gujarat volition travel the same. “The UCC implemented by Uttarakhand presented a exemplary earlier the state due to the fact that it protects the customs and traditions of tribals. (Union) Home Minister Amit Shah besides clarified successful Jharkhand that a UCC volition support the traditions followed by tribals,” Sanghavi said.

Sanghavi, who was contiguous astatine the property league wherever the committee was announced, said the committee volition hole its study aft consulting spiritual leaders, including those from the Muslim community, and instrumentality the views of radical from antithetic walks of life.

The Opposition denounced the Patel government’s determination arsenic aimed astatine “diverting attention” from pressing issues up of the section assemblage polls. Congress Legislature Party person Amit Chavda said the BJP is doing “politics of ballot bank”.

“In Gujarat, 14% of the colonisation comprises tribals. A UCC volition impact the culture, customs, spiritual rites and matrimony strategy of the tribal society. Similarly, the Jain assemblage of Gujarat, and the Devipujaks volition besides beryllium affected,” the Congress person said, adding that the Constitution gives state to definite communities to prosecute their customs and culture.

Implementation of UCC falls nether the jurisdiction of the Central authorities and not the state, Chavda added. “But since determination is interior warring successful the BJP each implicit Gujarat, and the authorities present has failed successful each way, this announcement is an effort to divert people’s attraction up of the section assemblage elections.”

Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said, “The BJP authorities which is facing problems from each directions has made the UCC announcement, to screen up interior factionism, corruption etc…Whenever elections are circular the corner, the BJP makes specified announcements.”

Aam Aadmi Party authorities caput Isudan Gadhvi besides linked the UCC announcement to the coming elections. “Even today, 80% of home disputes successful the Maldhari assemblage are resolved by its ain leaders. There is polygamy successful tribal society, and each this volition extremity if a UCC is implemented. Therefore, we judge a UCC is going to beryllium a hindrance for Christians, Sikhs, Muslims arsenic well,” Gadhvi said, informing that the BJP won’t triumph a azygous tribal spot if it went up with a UCC.

“I would similar to archer the BJP that it is not close to look astatine everything from the position of Hindu-Muslim oregon ballot slope politics… The BJP has done thing astir inflation oregon unemployment, it does not make jobs,” Gadhvi said.

As per a PTI report, Danish Siddique, the person of the AIMIM that contested Assembly elections for the archetypal clip successful Gujarat successful 2022, said a UCC was a means to people the Muslim community, and said his enactment does not person overmuch anticipation from a committee formed by the authorities to see divergent views without a bias.

If tribals are kept extracurricular the projected law, it would not beryllium a UCC, helium added. “We volition enactment our broadside earlier the panel. When BJP targets Muslims implicit polygamy, it should cognize this is prevalent successful different communities too. When 1 assemblage is allowed (to person polygamy) and not others, past it is not a UCC.”

In October 2022, erstwhile the Gujarat Cabinet archetypal announced its determination to signifier a committee for implementation of a UCC, an authoritative BJP enactment merchandise quoted past Union curate Parshottam Rupala arsenic saying that a UCC was among the halfway issues for the BJP, on with Ram Janmabhoomi and abrogation of Article 370.

While the BJP was voted backmost successful 2022, a elder enactment office-bearer said it had taken the authorities authorities implicit 2 years to signifier a committee fixed the sensitivity of the issue. “It has the imaginable to origin communal disharmony. So, the BJP adopted a hold and ticker policy. After Uttarakhand acceptable the process successful motion, our enactment decided to spot the effect to a UCC determination and its repercussions (before acting).”

The BJP person said what they had seen was that “the UCC has had much oregon little creaseless sailing, without overmuch uproar, successful Uttarakhand”. If a bigger authorities similar Gujarat manages to besides instrumentality a UCC “without overmuch uproar”, helium said: “I judge a UCC volition beryllium implemented successful each BJP- and NDA-ruled states successful the adjacent two-three years.”

On wherefore an announcement for a UCC had been made conscionable earlier the 2022 Assembly elections, the BJP office-bearer said it was “reiteration of the party’s committedness to the cause”.

Sources said that if the UCC committee submits its study wrong the 45-day deadline, the Gujarat authorities could bring a Bill by the extremity of the Budget Session, scheduled betwixt February 19 and March 28, successful the state.

A root pointed retired that the aforesaid judge, Justice (retired) Ranjana Desai, who headed the Uttarakhand UCC committee has been picked for Gujarat, and this would smoothen the process. “Much of the enactment is assumed to person been done theoretically.”

A PTI study quoted committee members Thakar and Shroff arsenic saying the authorities government’s attack was “sensitive” and showed its “commitment” to plugging loopholes successful laws and ensuring justness for all.

Shroff said she firmly believed that a communal instrumentality had galore benefits. “In the past 30 years, I person seen difficulties faced by women and children successful their combat for justice. A UCC volition assistance resoluteness this,” she said.

Thakar said women are particularly adversely affected owed to idiosyncratic laws, and the Supreme Court had directed successful the Shah Bano lawsuit that contradictions successful specified cases beryllium removed and a azygous instrumentality beryllium framed.