New Delhi: A Parliament panel head pushed for keeping tribals from the Northeast and other regions of the country out of the ambit of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
"The tribal community from the northeast region and other regions of India should be kept out of UCC," said Sushil Modi, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice.
Modi, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, noted that all laws have exceptions.
The panel during the day held a meeting on the UCC here.
Around seventeen members were present in the meeting.
Countering Modi's argument, the opposition parties questioned how there could be uniformity if the tribals are exempted from UCC.
Modi said tribals get protection under the sixth schedule of the constitution, according to sources.
The UCC proposes to formulate and implement personal laws which apply to all citizens equally regardless of their religion, sex, gender and sexual orientation.
The opposition leaders also raised concerns over possible erosion of power of the states from the concurrent list.
Besides this, the opposition leaders questioned why the issue is being brought up ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
On the 14th of last month, the Law Commission of India solicited the views and ideas of the public and recognised religious organisations to examine the UCC.
The Law Commission said so far, 19 lakh suggestions have been received on the consultation started by it following a public notice brought out on June 13. The exercise will continue till July 13.
The UCC comes under Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, which lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.
The objective of Article 44 of the Directive Principles in the Constitution is to address the discrimination against vulnerable groups and harmonise diverse cultural groups across the country.
The Code calls for the formulation of one law for India, which would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption. Currently, the personal laws of various communities are governed by their religious scriptures. (UNI)