You can change the conversation around gender equality across religions in India by answering the questionnaire formed by the Law Comission of India. Taking the dialogue for Uniform Civil Code forward, the commission released a statement last Friday asking the public for their opinion on laws that are anti-women, if UCC will infringe upon personal laws and ending a few religious and personal practices in the three major religions in India in the favour of a common law.
In their 16 point questionnaire available online, the commission wants to know if polygamy can be banned or regulated. Talking about divorces, it asks if Triple Talaq and the wait period of two years for Christian divorces against one year for Hindu divorces should banned, kept or regulated with amendments. It also asks if any of the denominations like marriage, adoption, child custody, divorce, maintenance, succession and even inheritance should come under the UCC.
On the question of banning polygamy in India, it didn’t just hint at Muslim laws but also included Maitri-karar. “The question may appear aimed at ending the much criticised practice of a Muslim man permitted to marry up to four women. But the commission adds another question to it - to end similar practices such as Maitri-Karar. Maitri-Karar, even though banned by law, is still practised sporadically in Gujarat. Through this, a married Hindu man signs a friendship pact on stamp paper with another woman and brings her home to live together,” reported Times of India.
The commission has stated that it is looking to address social injustice instead of plurality of laws and that a woman’s right is an end in itself and rather than a matter of constitutional provision, religious right and political debate. Indian Express reported that, “the Commission said the objective behind the endeavour is to address discrimination against vulnerable groups and harmonise the various cultural practices even as it assured the people that the ‘norms of no one class, group or community will dominate the tone and tenor of family law reforms’.”
The interview suggest that it took two months for the commission to set up the questionnaire and is already being opposed by the Muslim personal law board. “Talking about triple talaq, the Muslim Personal Law Board, in a press conference on Thursday said that the “Uniform Civil Code is not good for this nation” as “many cultures in this nation” need to be respected. It also added that it was the Constitution that helped them (Muslims) live and practice their religion,” reported First Post.
The generic complain of ‘nothing good is happening or can happen in this country’ can be shut down by actually doing something to change the environment around us. The Commission has also made the questionnaire available in Hindi and you can download and answer the English PDF file here.
Feature Image Courtesy: civilsdaily.com