Petition in Gujarat high court seeks diverse representation in Uniform Civil Code panel
petition
in the
Gujarat high court
has challenged the formation of the
Uniform Civil Code
(UCC) committee, seeking directions for the state govt to include members from different
religious communities
and make its process consultative.
The petition was filed by Abdul Vahab Sopariwala from Surat, stating that the five-member panel formed to examine the need for UCC and draft the law does not include any Christian, Muslim, Parsi, Sikh, or Jain scholars. It contends that forming such a committee without adequate representation of different communities and stakeholders violates fundamental rights under the Constitution. "A uniform code that disregards the pluralistic nature of Indian society infringes upon the right to cultural and religious autonomy," the petition reads.
The petitioner contends that the present committee does not represent the majority perspective and fails to include a broad cross-section of stakeholders, particularly from religious minorities. Their inclusion is crucial for such an exercise, as the inclusion of subject experts is required in any committee.
The petition further mentions that Gujarat's UCC panel is headed by retired Justice Ranjana Desai, but the other four members do not have anything to do with this subject. The petitioner states that retired IAS officer C L Meena is a member, but he is not a jurist and does not have any work experience with the law commission. Another member is an advocate, R C Kodekar, whose work profile shows that he practises criminal laws and not civil laws. Another member, Dakshesh Thakkar, is a former vice-chancellor of a university and is closely aligned with the ruling party. Similarly, the fifth member, Gita Shroff, appears to be close to the ruling party.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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The petitioner has prayed for directions to the govt to reform the UCC committee with fresh members who have knowledge of the subjective law. He has also urged for direction to engage in a consultative process involving all religious and cultural communities before any move to impose a UCC.
The HC has posted a hearing on this petition for May 5.
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