Our Correspondent / New Delhi
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) today claimed that the Law Commission in principle agreed that a uniform civil code (UCC) is not feasible in India given its vast diversity and complexities.
A delegation of AIMPLB, the apex body of Indian Muslims today met Law Commission chairman Justice (retd) B S Chauhan and apprised him about its strong opposition to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), members of the board said after the meeting.
“First and foremost we made it clear that Muslim personal law is as per the divine decree and nobody is authorised to change it. The Commission was very receptive of our views and the meeting happened in a very cordial atmosphere,” said Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari, who led the AIMPLB delegation.
“The Law Commission Chairman admitted that a uniform civil code is not a practical idea for India and that the government should not even think of implementing it for at least 10 years. We told him that not just 10 years, the idea should be dropped for good,” Umari said.
The Commission also wanted to know what good things from the Muslim personal law can be made part of the Hindu civil code and vice versa, said Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, who also part of the delegation.
He said that a letter written by the board’s General Secretary Mohammad Wali Rahmani was also handed over to Chauhan, in which it has been made clear that as far as the Muslim personal law is concerned, it is “divine”, is based on religious text, and no change in it is acceptable.
Ilyas said that during the meeting, Muslim personal law issues such as adoption, women’s property rights and ‘model nikhanama’ were also discussed.
He said that the AIMPLB made it clear during the meeting that the differences in the various schools of thoughts in Islam have been incorporated and the issue of reform was being pursued by the board’s social reform panel.
“It has been made clear to the commission that the determination of religious principles, traditions and cultures do not fall within scope of functioning of the government and accordingly the said issues should not be made part of the law-making process. Therefore, the government should neither interfere nor be advised to interference in such areas,” the AIMPLB statement said.
On the triple talaq bill in Parliament, AIMPLB Secretary Fazlur Rahman Mujaddidi said it was not only against women, but also against married couples.
He hit out at the government for proposing to make triple talaq a cognizable offence, alleging that it was a “conspiracy to fill jails with Muslims”.
Kamal Farooqui, member AIMPLB, said a person is punished for committing a crime, but when the crime has not happened, how can a person be punished.
The Law Commission has been examining the issue of implementing a common civil law for all communities in India and had invited the AIMPLB on Tuesday to discuss the Muslim personal law and the desired changes in it.