Naga bodies oppose proposed UCC
Source: Chronicle News Service

Senapati, July 13 2023: Coming out strongly against the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and implementation thereof for the citizens throughout India, several Naga civil society organisations said implementation of UCC is 'unacceptable' in Naga homeland.

The United Naga Council (UNC), All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM), Naga Women's Union (NWU) and Poumai Naga Union (PNU) raised objection to the proposed UCC and submitted separate representations to Law Commission of India chairperson justice Ritu Awasthi through the DC, Senapati.

The representations stated that the common civil code or common law for every citizen residing in India irrespective of religion and caste is a constitutional hurdle as Article 25 of the Indian Constitution that seeks to preserve the freedom to practice and propagate any religion gets into conflict with the concepts of equality enshrined under Article 14 of the Indian Constitution.

Presently, personal laws governing various communities are based on their respective religious texts.

Due to this, individuals belonging to different religions have different laws regulating their marriages, divorces, inheritance and other family related matters.

For instance, in tribal areas of the North-East, customary practices including land holding system, law of inheritance of properties, marriages and cases of divorce, succession and adoptions are all governed under the respective tribal customary practices.

Therefore, the tribal population in the North East and other regions should be kept out of the ambit of the UCC, the representations said.

According to the Naga bodies, the Constitution of India does not have a specific provision mandating a Uniform Civil Code for citizens.

However, it does mention of a Uniform Civil Code in Article 44, which is one of the directive principles of state policy and unlike the fundamental rights, it cannot be enforced in the court of law.

The proposed UCC directly negates the basic structure and principle of the Indian constitution such as secularism, pluralism, etc.

Historically, the so called UCC and its concept has no place in the sub-continent of India despite of much efforts employed by the government since colonial power in 1835, it maintained.

The emerging India as one of the economic giants in contemporary world under the regime of BJP, propelling for 'One Nation One Law' is a matter of great concern for all the non-Hindu minority population in India especially for the Nagas as a whole having ks own distinct identity, practices and system.

Therefore, Nagas presently living in the state of Manipur in no uncertain terms oppose the intent and objective of promulgating such law of totalitarianism in the guise of UCC and shall not accept the implementation of the same under any circumstances in the Naga homeland, the representations said.

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