Despite Prime Minister Modi’s renewed emphasis on implementing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the future of the proposed legislation remains uncertain as the term of the 22nd Law Commission is set to end on August 31. The commission, responsible for drafting the UCC, has been without a chairperson since March, when Justice Rituraj Awasthi resigned to become a Lokpal judicial member. With the commission’s tenure nearing its close, there is no clear indication of when a new chairman will be appointed.
The UCC, a long-standing ideological commitment of the BJP, aims to establish a common set of laws for all religious communities concerning marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession. However, despite the BJP’s push, its NDA allies like JD(U), LJP, and TDP have shown reluctance towards PM Modi’s latest call for a ‘secular code’. Law Ministry sources indicate that although consultations on the UCC have been completed, the absence of a final draft means the process will be delayed until a new commission is formed and a chairman is appointed.
The 22nd Law Commission, established in 2022 after a four-year gap, had engaged in extensive consultations with religious scholars, civil society groups, and representatives from various religious and women’s organizations to draft the UCC. In June last year, the commission sought public input on the proposed UCC, receiving over 75 lakh responses. Despite these efforts, the final draft remains unfinished, and the UCC’s implementation is now in question due to the imminent expiration of the commission’s term.
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