Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has said that the implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is neither practical nor appropriate, given the country’s diverse cultural and tribal communities.
Notably, Uttarakhand has become the first state in the country to implement UCC.
“A Uniform Civil Code, as a concept of making sure that everything becomes uniform, is not possible in India. There are tribal and indigenous communities with unique practices that may not align with the uniformity. To impose uniformity on every aspect of life, across all communities, would not be correct,” the chief minister said.
He, however, acknowledged that certain aspects of civil laws could be made uniform while protecting the rights of indigenous communities.
Sangma said in a country as diverse as India, a Uniform Civil Code is not viable.
“There are tribal and indigenous communities with unique practices that may not align with the uniformity. To impose uniformity on every aspect of life, across all communities, would not be correct,” he added.
He stated, “If a bill at the national or state level were to declare that the entire country should adopt a matrilineal system, Meghalaya would support that, because we are a matrilineal society. It all depends on the content of the bill—what aspects are being made uniform and in what way.”
He said the Meghalaya government has no plans to implement UCC.
“For us, as a state government, we are very clear. The Uniform Civil Code is not on our agenda. We respect the diverse identities of our tribal communities, and their traditional practices must be protected,” he added.
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Earlier, a tribal council in Meghalaya unanimously passed a resolution to oppose the implementation of the UCC in areas within its jurisdiction.
The UCC is meant to establish a single set of personal laws applicable to all citizens, governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession.
