Meghalaya: Three District Councils Opposed Uniform Civil Code In Sixth Schedule Regions

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• Apr 25, 2023 | Dhupali Das

Three Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) - KHADC, JHADC, and GHADC—declared today...

Digital Desk: Three Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) - KHADC, JHADC, and GHADC—declared today (April 25, 2023) that they had unanimously approved to pass a resolution opposing the Centre's intention to impose the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state following a joint meeting. 

"We have unanimously decided that we will jointly pass a resolution that the execution of UCC in the Sixth Schedule area will be totally opposed (by us), and we also pass a resolution in our specific councils soon about this topic," KHADC chief Titosstarwell Chyne told reporters after the meeting. 

The UCC is a proposal to create and enforce personal laws for individuals that apply to all citizens equally.

The KHADC chief stated that the meeting had long discussed the central government's intention to introduce the UCC Bill in the country, adding that "We feel that UCC will directly have an effect on the powers and functions of the ADCs, especially with our customs, traditional practices, and the community as a whole."

When asked if a special session will be held in this regard, Chyne stated that they want to hold a special session by next month in order to speed up the process.

"There are so many issues, as I have stated, that it (UCC) will have an impact on our traditional customs, such as the marriage system. We will have a unified marriage system once this UCC is adopted, however, because we have disparities in our customs, religious and traditional customs will be affected. "As a Scheduled Tribe, we believe that implementation of this UCC will be unacceptable in the state," he said.

Moreover, the KHADC chief stated that the state government will be required to follow suit after a resolution is passed by the three ADCs, as it was done in the case of the Citizenship Amendment Act.  

"...the CAA has been excluded from the Scheduled area. I believe the UCC should to be excluded from the Sixth Schedule as well. As a result, we are requesting that the UCC be exempted from the Sixth Schedule area," he added.