State PCS - Rajasthan (RAS)

• 07 Feb 2024

Rajasthan Government Plans Uniform Civil Code (UCC)

Why in News?

• Rajasthan cabinet minister Kanhiya Lal Choudhary informed the state assembly that the government would soon introduce the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill.

Key Points

• The proposed UCC Bill aims to establish uniform laws pertaining to marriage, divorce and inheritance of property. It seeks to curb practices like polygamy and divorce through religious means.
• On the lines of Uttarakhand, the Rajasthan UCC Bill will exempt the tribal community, as they've raised serious objections, terming their customs and practices uncompromisable.

Uniform Civil Code (UCC)

• The Uniform Civil Code is mentioned in Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, which is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy.
• These principles are not legally enforceable but are meant to guide the state in making policies.
  • It has been supported by some as a way to promote national integration and gender justice, but opposed by others as a threat to religious freedom and diversity.
• The only state in India that has a UCC is Goa, which retained its common family law known as the Goa Civil Code after it was liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961.
  • Recently, Uttarakhand has also introduced the UCC bill in the state assembly.
• The rest of India follows different personal laws based on their religious or community identity.