The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India Bill, 2020 was introduced in the Upper house by BJP member Kirodi Lal Meena on December 9th.

The bill was introduced amid protests from opposition parties but, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar called for division and the motion for introduction of the Bill was passed with 63 votes in favour and 23 against it.

The Bill seeks to formulate a panel to prepare a UCC and to implement it across the country.

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC)  which comes under Article 44 stands for the formulation of one law for whole India, which would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption.

The UCC finds its origin back in colonial India when the British government submitted its report in 1835 which stressed the need for uniformity in the codification of Indian law relating to crimes, evidence, and contracts, specifically recommending that personal laws of Hindus and Muslims be kept outside such codification.

But later B N Rau Committee was made to codify Hindu law in 1941. It recommended a codified Hindu law, in accordance with scriptures, which would give equal rights to women.

The 1937 Act was reviewed and the committee recommended a civil code of marriage and succession for Hindus.

But, while formulating the Indian Constitution, Article 35 of the draft Constitution was added as a part of the Directive Principles of the State Policy in part IV of the Constitution of India as Article 44.

The bill was later adopted in 1956 as the Hindu Succession Act to amend and codify the law relating to intestate or unwilled succession, among Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs.

In India, the criminal laws are uniform and are applicable on all the citizens equally but on the other hand the civil laws are influenced entirely by faith.

While the bill is witnessing opposition as it is likely to bring several changes to Muslim Personal Law, including the abolition of polygamy practices.

It is stated that "one nation, one law" cannot be applied to the unique personal laws of different communities