Ucc: UCC a threat to fundamental rights, say representatives from minority communities in joint statement | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Asserting that the very idea of Uniform Civil Code is a threat to fundamental rights and the concept of “unity in diversity”, representatives from organisations of minority communities including Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, tribals and backward communities on Wednesday issued a joint statement opposing the UCC. They now propose to take their message to the ground through meetings across states.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Sikh Personal Law Board, Federation of Catholic Associations of Archdiocese of Delhi, Sikh Personal Law Board, Akali Dal, Delhi and Confederation of Dalit and Tribals organisation, among others, at a press conference shared a resolution in which they said that the “government has no business to interfere in the customary laws and religious practices of social groups, tribals, Dalits and religious communities”.
Speaking on behalf of the various organisations that met and passed a resolution, Professor Jagmohan Singh, convener, Sikh Personal Law Board said, “We all met today and observed that the one nation, one law view of UCC is a pernicious attempt to intervene in the social and religious affairs of various communities and groups.”

Reading from the resolution he said that, “We the members of the minority communities, Dalits and tribunals want to unitedly proclaim that the UCC is a threat to fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution and religious and cultural diversities and to the concept of unity in diversity.” “We want that the Constitutional guarantees and protections must be upheld,” he added. Some of the other organisations to endorse the resolution include All India Backwards and Minority Communities Employees Federation, All India Ravidasiya Dharam Sangathan, National Conference for Minorities, Sikh Talmail Group and Committee for Protection of Religious and Cultural Diversities.
The press statement also says that the organisations and activists fear that the UCC will threaten the reservation provided to SC, ST and OBCs. “Under the garb of equality by removing discrimination they will then move to scrap reservation,” it is stated.
To a question that the government has still not come out with a draft so how were they certain that it would adversely impact the minorities and backwards, Singh said that they were opposed to the very idea of UCC in principle. Meanwhile, representatives of many of these organisations have sent their views on the issue to the Law Commission.