Hyderabad, Feb. 7: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has said that the Uniform Civil Code violates the right to freedom of religion under the Constitution of India.
The Hyderabad MP stated that people have a right to practice their religion and culture but the UCC forces them to follow a different religion and culture. “In our religion, inheritance and marriage are part of religious practice, it is a violation of Articles 25 & 29 to force us to follow a different system,” Owaisi said in a statement.
He described the UCC as a Hindu Code and also said that it contradicts Central laws.
He wanted to know why Hindu Undivided Family was not touched by the UCC.
“Uttarakhand UCC Bill is nothing but a Hindu Code applicable for all. Firstly, Hindu Undivided Family has not been touched. Why? If you want a uniform law for succession and inheritance, why are Hindus kept out of it? Can a law be uniform if it doesn’t apply to majority of your state?,” he asked.
“Bigamy, halala, live-in relationships have become the talking points. But no one is asking why Hindu Undivided Family has been excluded,” he said.
He also asked why tribals have been excluded. He wondered if a law can be uniform if one community is exempted from it.
He also raised the constitutional issue involved and pointed out the Modi government said in the Supreme Court that UCC can only be enacted by Parliament. “This Bill contradicts central laws like Shariah Act, Hindu Marriage Act, SMA, ISA, etc. Without presidential assent, how will this law work? A voluntary UCC already exists in the form of SMA, ISA, JJA, DVA, etc. Why make it mandatory when Ambedkar himself didn’t call it mandatory?,” he asked.
He also questioned the need for the Uniform Civil Code. “No one is asking why this was needed. According to the CM, his state faced losses of 1000 crore due to floods. 17000 hectares of agricultural land was submerged and crop losses were estimated to be over ₹2 crore. Uttarakhand’s finances are in doldrums, so Dhami feels the need to table this.”
