Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has dismissed the possibility of implementing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across India, stating that the country’s diversity makes such a move unfeasible.
Speaking to the media in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, on Sunday, Shivakumar emphasised India’s pluralistic nature. “Our country is a country of unity in diversity. A uniform civil code cannot be implemented,” he asserted.
When questioned about the Haryana BJP government’s move to implement the UCC, Shivakumar expressed scepticism over its feasibility. “Every citizen has his own personal life. If it cannot be implemented in the entire country, how can it be implemented in one state?” he said.
The remarks come amid ongoing debates over the implementation of the UCC, which aims to replace personal laws based on religion with a common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, and other civil matters.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand has become the first state to implement the UCC in India, a move that poses some political debates and sheds national attention as well.
What is the UCC?
The UCC refers to a singular legislative proposal under a common code, where all religious communities would be subject to the same laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and maintenance. Though India has a singular “criminal code” applicable to all its citizens, it does not have a singular set of civil laws.
Following a lot of discussion, it was decided that tribes will not be included in the UCC provisions, and there is a total prohibition on customs such as halala, iddat, and talaq (which pertain to marriage and divorce within the Muslim Personal Law).
