Law panel’s report on uniform civil code not before next year
WAIT Commission says it has time until August 2018 to come up with recommendations
The Law Commission of India, tasked with examining whether the time is ripe for bringing in a uniform civil code (UCC) in the country, could take up to a year to submit its report to the government, top sources in the commission told HT.
“The commission has time until August 2018 to wrap up its report. We will do it before that,” a senior commission official, who did not want to be named, said. A member of the team working on the subject said the commission would require months to examine the issue and come up with comprehensive recommendations. The commission was set up in September 2015 for three years.
After the Supreme Court’s verdict on triple talaq, it was widely perceived that the commission will submit its report soon, paving the way for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governreligious ment to begin the legislative process for bringing uniformity in personal laws. The UCC has been a long-standing poll promise and ideological position of the BJP. The law ministry had in June 2016 sent a reference to the commission asking it for an in-depth examination of “matters in relation to the uniform civil code”.
Officials said that the commission received as many as 40,000 recommendations from members of public, NGOs, experts, groups, and political parties after it sought suggestions through a public appeal and a three-page questionnaire in October. “It (UCC) is a very wide subject. The court considered only instant triple talaq…We want to present a report acceptable to all stakeholders,” the official said.
The commission had put on hold the process of tabulating responses with petitioner Shayara Bano’s appeal against instant triple talaq (or Talaq-ebiddat) pending in SC. After the court’s majority judgment, the commission will start the process again. “We will resume the tabulation of responses and study the court’s judgment. It is a voluminous judgment. We will have to study the court’s observations on personal law,” a senior commission official said.
A fire in the commission’s new office here on July 24 will add to the delay, sources said. Officials confirmed the fire has delayed things “by a month or so”.