SC notice on uniform adoption law

NEW DELHI: While a Uniform Civil Code applicable to all religions in matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption remains illusive, the SC on Friday ventured for a uniform law of adoption and guardianship for all citizens, issuing notices to the government after hearing a PIL for such a direction.

The PIL was filed by BJP leader and SC lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay. A threejudge bench of the apex court, headed by CJI SA Bobde and comprising Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian issued notice to the Union Home Ministry, Law Ministry and the Law Commission and sought their response before the next hearing on March 19. Upadhyay sought a direction to the respondents to remove anomalies on the grounds of ‘adoption and guardianship’ and make them uniform for all citizens without discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth under Articles 14, 15, 21, 44 and international conventions.

He sought the Centre should declare that the discriminatory grounds of ‘adoption and guardianship’ are violative of Articles 14, 15, 21 of the Constitution.