Uniform Civil Code: Constitutional and Judicial Perspective

In a country of a million customs and communities like India, personal law have cropped up as one of the key factors of conflict among the people. The requirement for a Uniform Civil code in India has been debated and argued several times and it still remains one among the foremost controversial issues remarked in our Constitution.

A Uniform Civil Code connotes the idea of same set of civil rules for the citizens irrespective of their religion, caste, etc. Uniform Civil Code administers a singular set of secular civil laws to govern all citizens, irrespective of their religions, caste or regions. The common areas covered by a civil code include personal status, rights related to acquisition and administration of property and marriage, divorce and adoption. The present paper describes constitutional perspective of Uniform Civil Code and secularism in India. The paper also discusses approach of judiciary and need for uniform civil code. Uniform Civil Code tends to simplify Indian legal system and making Indian society more homogeneous.