"No Muslim woman wants her husband to bring home 3 other wives," Himanta Biswa Sarma bats for UCC

Amidst the ongoing discourses on whether to enact Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India; Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma has batted for UCC saying this is the issue of social justice for Muslim females. The debates over UCC gained fresh traction after when Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur announced on April 25 that his government is intending to implement the provisions of UCC in India in Himachal Pradesh, the government is examining the scopes of its implementations. The CM of Uttarakhand also expressed his consent and interest in implementing UCC in the state.

Reacting to the remarks of the Chief Ministers of these two states, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen(AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi joined the debate and said UCC is not required in India on April 30. Owaisi said, “Unemployment and inflation are on the rise and you’re concerned about the Uniform Civil Code. We are against it. The Law Commission has also said that UCC is not needed in India.” Pointing out the Goa Civil Code‘s provision which allows a Hindu man to take a second wife if she has attained the age of 30 without having a son, Owaisi asked, “What will the BJP say about this?”

Today, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sharma made his position clear on UCC and he has extended his willingness for the UCC and justified it saying it provides gender justice to Muslim Females. He said, “Everybody wants UCC. No Muslim woman wants her husband to bring home 3 other wives. Ask any Muslim woman. UCC is not my issue, it is an issue for all Muslim women. If they are to be given justice, after the scrapping of Triple Talaq, UCC will have to be brought.”

“If my sisters, my daughters are secured with the UCC then why should Muslim women, girls be devoid of such a security,” Sharma added in defense of UCC.

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) warrants the formulation of one holistic law for the civil affairs of Indian citizens, which would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance of property, and adoption. Article 44 of the Constitution of India declares that the state shall endeavor to secure the citizens a uniform civil code. This article is contained in Part IV of the Constitution which deals with Directive Principles of State Policy.

The legacy of personal laws in India is rooted in India’s colonial past. Both Hindu and Muslim Personal Laws were brought in the early 20th century to protect the private realm of the household from the colonial state. These personal laws are dictated by theology and based in religious texts and scriptures. But these laws have always been mediated by the constitution; no religious texts have been retained verbatim as law.