Tag Archives: Uniform Civil Code

Rising Bharat National News Feed: October 26th 2020

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  1. No Problem In Discussing Common Civil Code Openly: VHP

Key points:

  1. International Joint General Secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Surendra Jain has backed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Joint General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale’s reported demand for a debate on the Uniform Civil Code.
  2. Speaking to ANI VHP leader Jain said, “What is the problem if the Common Civil Code is discussed openly, and whatever apprehensions are there, they should be neutralised. I think it is very important that there should be an open debate on the Common Civil Code in order to stop the feeling of alienation for the development of the country and to create a peaceful environment. This is the demand of today.”
  3. The senior VHP leader further said that the demand for the Common Civil Code is very old.
  4. “Bhimrao Ambedkar himself had placed this in the Directive Principle of the Constitution. More than four times the Supreme Court has given instructions that we should implement the Common Civil Code. There is no country in the world without a uniform law for its citizens. If India also has such a law, what can be the problem?” asked Jain.
  5. “Some people say that this is an attempt to impose the Hindu agenda but those people forget that how many times the people of Hindu society have accepted the amendment in their practices,” he added.
  6. RSS Joint General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale had on Sunday reportedly said there should be a public debate on the Uniform Civil Code. He, however, left it to the government to decide if it was time to bring a bill on it or not. The RSS is the ideological mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (Business World, 26 October 2020) News Link
  • Hindutva, China, Covid & agriculture — Breaking down Mohan Bhagwat’s Dussehra speech

Key points:

  1. On Sunday, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat delivered his annual Dussehra address at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur as a message to those who follow the RSS ideology, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In episode 601 of ‘Cut The Clutter’, ThePrint Editor-in-chief Shekhar Gupta explained the significance of the speech.
  2. Gupta said Bhagwat’s address gives an idea of what’s happening in India’s most powerful political organisation, even though it calls itself a purely cultural body
  3. Highlighting how this speech was different from Bhagwat’s previous ones, Gupta said it may not have been headline grabbing, which was the essence, but as one lifted the layers, there were some significant political pointers.
  4. As an aside, Gupta also spoke about the ongoing tussle between journalist Arnab Goswami-owned Republic TV and the Maharashtra government.
  5. Concluding his analysis, Gupta said the RSS would not push the Modi government on the economic issues as the latter has fulfilled its agenda with the scrapping of Article 370, and some elements of the Uniform Civil Code with criminalisation of triple talaq, and the Ram temple as well.
  6. He added that while the RSS and Bhagwat believed in frugal living, once things become better after Covid, people would go back to right where they were because human beings are ambitious, hungry for more, entrepreneurial and like to create wealth.

(The Print, 26 October 2020) News Link

  • यूनिफॉर्म सिविल कोड पर बोले RSS नेता– सार्वजनिक बहस हो, लोगों को जागरुक किया जाए

Key points:

  1. यूनिफॉर्म सिविल कोड (UCC) को लेकर एक बार फिर से बहस शुरू हो गई है. राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ (RSS) के संयुक्त महासचिव दत्तात्रेय होसाबले ने रविवार को कहा कि यूनिफॉर्म सिविल कोड को लेकर सार्वजनिक बहस होनी चाहिए ताकि लोगों को इसके बारे में अवगत कराया जा सके. साथ ही यह भी कहा कि सरकार को यह तय करना है कि इससे जुड़ा बिल लाने का यह सही समय है या नहीं.
  2. आरएसएस के स्थापना दिवस पर थिंक टैंक इंडिया फाउंडेशन द्वारा आयोजित एक वर्चुअल कार्यक्रम में बोलते हुए होसबाले ने कहा कि यूनिफॉर्म सिविल कोड का उल्लेख राज्य के नीति निर्देशक सिद्धांतों के तहत संविधान में किया गया है. हालांकि, संविधना निर्माताओं द्वारा इसके कार्यान्वयन के लिए कोई समय सीमा निर्धारित नहीं की गई है.
  3. उन्होंने एक सवाल के जवाब में कहा कि यह सरकार को तय करना है कि वह यूसीसी बिल लाने का यह अच्छा समय है या नहीं. लेकिन हमें पहले इसके बारे में लोगों को शिक्षित करना होगा. होसाबले ने कहा कि भारतीय जनता पार्टी (बीजेपी) और उसके पूर्ववर्ती जनसंघ दोनों की समान नागरिक संहिता (UCC) की मांग रही है.
  4. लोगों को इस मुद्दे के बारे में शिक्षित करना महत्वपूर्ण है, उन्होंने कहा कि इसके बारे में एक उचित सार्वजनिक बहस होनी चाहिए क्योंकि इससे कई धारणाओं को स्पष्ट करने में मदद मिलती है. उन्होंने इस दौरान जम्मू-कश्मीर का जिक्र किया जहां पिछले साल अगस्त में इस राज्य का विशेष दर्जा खत्म कर दिया गया था. उन्होंने यह भी कहा कि लोगों को यह पता ही नहीं था कि अनुच्छेद 370 या अनुच्छेद 35 ए क्या था. लोगों को शिक्षित करना महत्वपूर्ण है.

(Aaj Tak, 26 October 2020) News Link

Uniform civil code a must says Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal

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Uniform civil code a must for society, says Syed Bhai of the Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal

With a change of government at the Centre, progressive Muslim organisations are hoping that regressive, anti-women laws will be replaced with those based on gender parity. Syed Bhai of the Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal, which has worked for eradicating social evils like oral, one-sided talaq, nikah halala (wherein a woman divorced by her husband has to marry another man and consummate the marriage before she is divorced by him and can return to her first husband) and fundamentalism, said they were planning to meet prime minister Narendra Modi with like-minded organisations to petition him on legal reform. Syed Bhai spoke to dna’s Dhaval Kulkarni about his expectations from the meeting.

What are your expectations from the Centre regarding change in Muslim personal laws?
​We hope that laws which are biased against women are changed and measures taken to curb Hindu- Muslim riots. If the government wants, it can stop riots. A community can think and be enlightened only if it is in peace. We are planning to meet prime minister Narendra Modi and are looking at roping in progressive organisations from states across India.

What is your wish list?
Oral talaq and polygamy must go. Laws must be amended to allow Muslims to adopt children. Women must be given their rights and the disproportionate share of rights given to men must be reduced. Polygamy must be legally stopped. (Otherwise) If men have the right to marry four times, will women be allowed to marry four men similarly? We are planning to meet the president, prime minister, law and judiciary minister and Muslim MPs though things will be finalised after discussions with like-minded organisations. This is out of a sense of social responsibility. We have also met Rajiv Gandhi, Zail Singh and previous law ministers in the past. Like a uniform criminal code, we need a uniform civil code. Till this does not happen, we must persist.

But Muslim organisations oppose the demand for a uniform civil code on grounds that it interferes with religious practices.
Amendments in the laws and religious practices are two different poles. Today, the prevalent law does not ensure justice for women. However, opponents of these reforms claim that there is no need to touch these laws as women already have enough protection. Criminal laws which were based on the principle of Shariat were changed by the British and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board is protecting the very few provisions of Shariat that remain today. For instance, earlier, Muslims could keep a slave and thieves could get their hands cut off. A Muslim had to be tried by a Muslim judge only and a Hindu by a Hindu judge. However, the British changed this and brought in common criminal laws like the Indian Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code.

How will reservations to Muslims as announced by the state government help the community?
This is a political announcement. This will have no impact. Why doesn’t it ban one-sided talaq and polygamy and ensure justice for women? This will be a step towards the uniform civil code. But, this has not been done.

The Supreme Court recently ruled that the Shariat courts have no legal authority and their fatwas cannot be enforced. Your comments.
Fatwas are not law. They are the opinions of a religious authority. The Indian Constitution is supreme and more important than all. There are Islamic principles which say that Muslims must not give or take interest but there are Muslims in the banking system. Already, a 90-98% uniform civil code exists. Many Hindu laws have also changed over a period of time. For instance. Hindus who crossed the seas earlier were excommunicated and eating bread led to conversion to Christianity. These things are not followed today.

Source- DNA