{"id":6128,"date":"2025-07-11T07:36:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T07:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/?p=6128"},"modified":"2025-07-11T07:38:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T07:38:43","slug":"uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Uniform Civil Code: Introducing Uniformity In Diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Uniform_Civil_Code_UCC\"><\/span>Uniform Civil Code (UCC)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Yes! You are right, we are going to discuss the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which has become the most controversial and debatable topic nowadays. It is essential to answer questions like: why should every woman in the country be granted equal maintenance rights? Why should bigamy be punishable in every religion? Why must the age of a child be fixed unanimously? Discussing these questions is necessary for a better future and for the implementation of the UCC.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0c0c0c;color:#0c0c0c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0c0c0c;color:#0c0c0c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#Uniform_Civil_Code_UCC\" >Uniform Civil Code (UCC)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#What_is_Uniform_Civil_Code\" >What is Uniform Civil Code?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#Uniform_Civil_Law_in_India\" >Uniform Civil Law in India<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#Need_for_Uniform_Civil_Law\" >Need for Uniform Civil Law<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#Preamble\" >Preamble<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#Implications_of_Article_44\" >Implications of Article 44<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#Article_14\" >Article 14<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#According_to_the_Needs_of_Contemporary_Society\" >According to the Needs of Contemporary Society<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#For_Growth_of_the_Nation\" >For Growth of the Nation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#History_of_UCC\" >History of UCC<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#Pre-Constitutional_Era\" >Pre-Constitutional Era<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#Constituent_Assembly\" >Constituent Assembly<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#Post-Independence_Developments\" >Post-Independence Developments<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#Role_Of_Judiciary_In_Advocacy_For_UCC\" >Role Of Judiciary In Advocacy For UCC<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/uniform-civil-code-uniformity-in-diversity\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>One of the famous jurists, <strong>Savigny<\/strong>, propounded the &#8220;theory of law&#8221;, which states that law is not created by a sovereign but rather emerges organically from the &#8220;common consciousness&#8221; or &#8220;spirit of the people&#8221;\u2014known as <em>Volksgeist<\/em>. This means laws should reflect the whims, desires, and needs of the people. But does this become a restriction in the way of UCC? We all know that humans can be selfish, and if we make laws solely based on our wishes, it could reflect selfishness and harm the nation. All personal laws are a reflection of the will of the people, some of which create chaos or are derogatory for society\u2014such as &#8220;Triple Talaq&#8221; or &#8220;Bigamy&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>In the present scenario, considering developments in many other countries, we should also implement a <strong>Uniform Civil Code<\/strong> in the Indian subcontinent to ensure uniformity across all religions.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Uniform_Civil_Code\"><\/span>What is Uniform Civil Code?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Uniform Civil Code<\/strong> is basically a set of laws that will govern all personal matters like marriage, divorce, succession, etc. The main aim of implementing the UCC is to establish a secular legal framework for all personal issues.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Uniform_Civil_Law_in_India\"><\/span>Uniform Civil Law in India<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>India is known for its characteristic &#8220;Unity in Diversity&#8221;. It is a blend of various religions, languages, and traditions coexisting harmoniously. There are many laws like the IPC and CrPC which are uniformly applicable across the country. However, personal laws based on religion and customs form an exception to this uniformity.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, within Hinduism itself, there are more than 33 types of gods worshipped. Despite all these differences, our Constitution claims that India is a secular country. But in reality, different laws exist based on religion. Shouldn\u2019t we separate laws from religion to ensure uniformity of law for every citizen?<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Need_for_Uniform_Civil_Law\"><\/span>Need for Uniform Civil Law<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Preamble\"><\/span>Preamble<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>As per our Preamble, India is a secular state, which means the state does not recognize any religion. However, different laws continue to govern different religious groups, lacking uniformity in personal matters.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Implications_of_Article_44\"><\/span>Implications of Article 44<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Article 44 of the Constitution mandates the state to endeavor to secure a Uniform Civil Code for all citizens.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Article_14\"><\/span>Article 14<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Article 14 ensures that there should be no discrimination based on caste, color, sex, or religion. However, under the current system of personal laws, inequality exists. For example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Bigamy<\/strong>: Prohibited in Hindu law, but Muslim men are allowed to marry up to four times. This is unjust and cruel to the women of our nation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"According_to_the_Needs_of_Contemporary_Society\"><\/span>According to the Needs of Contemporary Society<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>All personal laws in India divide citizens. There are different laws related to succession, maintenance, and divorce across religions, which are often misused for personal benefits.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"For_Growth_of_the_Nation\"><\/span>For Growth of the Nation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If the UCC is implemented, it will ensure uniformity in personal matters, eliminating the need for multiple personal laws. For instance, Section 125 of CrPC could apply uniformly to all, irrespective of religion.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"History_of_UCC\"><\/span>History of UCC<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pre-Constitutional_Era\"><\/span>Pre-Constitutional Era<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Earlier, Hindus were governed by Shastra or Smritis, while Muslims followed Shariat law. Pandits and Kazis implemented these as per customs. With the arrival of the British, English common law was applied to English subjects, and courts were established. However, complications arose when these laws had to be applied to Indian subjects.<\/p>\n<p>This led to the creation of new personal laws and the emergence of multiple laws for different religions, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hindu Widow\u2019s Remarriage Act, 1856<\/li>\n<li>Shariat Act, 1937<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Constituent_Assembly\"><\/span>Constituent Assembly<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>During the drafting of the Constitution, there was a heated debate about the UCC. Some members supported it, while others opposed it. Eventually, UCC was adopted as a Directive Principle of State Policy under Article 44 with a narrow majority of 5:4.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.\u201d \u2014 Article 44<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Post-Independence_Developments\"><\/span>Post-Independence Developments<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>After independence, the government decided to begin implementing the UCC by reforming Hindu laws. This led to the enactment of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hindu Marriage Act, 1955<\/li>\n<li>Hindu Succession Act, 1956<\/li>\n<li>Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Role_Of_Judiciary_In_Advocacy_For_UCC\"><\/span>Role Of Judiciary In Advocacy For UCC<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>State of Bombay v. Narasu Appa [1952]:<\/strong> A man was convicted for bigamy under the Bombay Prevention of Bigamous Hindu Marriages Act. He challenged this act on the ground that it was against his personal law because his personal law permitted him to remarry if he had no child with his first wife. The Court declared this act valid.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mohd Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum [1985]:<\/strong> Shah Bano was divorced after 40 years of marriage, so she claimed maintenance under Section 125 of CrPC, which was challenged by her husband. The Court held that even Muslim women are equally entitled to maintenance under Section 125 of CrPC.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shayara Bano v. Union of India:<\/strong> In this case, Shayara Bano challenged the constitutional validity of triple talaq, halala, and polygamy on the ground that they are derogatory. The Supreme Court declared triple talaq unconstitutional.<\/li>\n<li><strong>21st Law Commission Report:<\/strong> It stated that UCC is \u201cneither necessary nor desirable\u201d at this stage. It also stated that we have to respect each and every religion and cannot impose one on another. We can make changes in personal laws to preserve diversity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There is a proverb which says &#8220;<em>\u0915\u094b\u0938-\u0915\u094b\u0938 \u092a\u0930 \u092c\u0926\u0932\u0947 \u092a\u093e\u0928\u0940, \u091a\u093e\u0930 \u0915\u094b\u0938 \u092a\u0930 \u0935\u093e\u0923\u0940<\/em>&#8220;, this describes Indian culture, traditions, and differences very well. So, the question remains whether the application of UCC will be good for India or will it ruin this stunning mixture of diversity which has unity in itself.<\/p>\n<p>In my opinion, faith should be separated from law so we can establish a secular law and dream of a nation where no one is differentiated on grounds of religion and beliefs. We must believe that UCC will neither ruin our customs nor destroy diversity. It will only remove all the derogatory and discriminatory laws that prevail in personal laws, such as triple talaq and bigamy. Our Constitution is supreme, and every law should be changed according to the Constitution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Yes! You are right, we are going to discuss the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which has become the most controversial and debatable topic nowadays. It is essential to answer questions like: why should every woman in the country be granted equal maintenance rights? Why should bigamy be punishable in every religion?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"two_page_speed":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[24],"class_list":{"0":"post-6128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-constitutional-law","7":"tag-just-in"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6128\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}