The Delhi High Court

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court sought on Monday the Centre’s response in three weeks on a batch of petitions seeking to enforce a uniform civil code in the country.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar issued a notice to the Central government on four such petitions and listed the matter for further hearing on March 23.

In one of the petitions, lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay has sought the framing of a uniform civil code to promote national integration, gender justice and the equality and dignity of women. Four other similar petitions seeking a UCC have been filed.

The HC also issued notice to Upadhyay and the Centre on an application by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) seeking to be heard as a party in the petition filed by Upadhyay, who is also a BJP member.

In May last year the court had sought the Centre’s response to Upadhyay’s petition. However, the government is yet to file its reply and on Monday sought more time to place its stand on record.

After Upadhyay, lawyer Abhinav Beri had moved a similar plea in August last year asking that the Centre be directed to constitute a judicial commission or a high-level committee to draft a UCC.

A third petition was filed by Firoz Bakht Ahmed , chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University and grandnephew of India’s first education minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, in October last year.

Yet another plea was moved by Amber Zaidi, a social activist, who has contended that India “urgently needs a UCC or Indian Civil Code in the spirit of Article 44 read with Article 14” of the Constitution.

She said she had moved the plea with the “sole purpose to secure gender justice, gender equability and dignity of women”. All have sought directions to the Centre to constitute a judicial commission or a high-level expert committee to draft a UCC within three months, while considering the best practices of all religions and sects, civil laws of developed countries and international conventions.

All the petitioners argue that India “urgently needs a uniform civil code”.

The petitioners have contended that gender justice and gender equality, guaranteed under Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, and dignity of women, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, cannot be secured without implementing Article 44 (the state shall endeavour to secure for citizens a UCC throughout the territory of India).

