Is UCC imperative today? Watch the 3rd edition of Ram Jethmalani Memorial Lecture Series

If the goal is gender equality, one must focus on education. If the goal is to target Muslims, Uniform Civil Code is an imperative, Asaduddin Owaisi said, during his lecture on the third edition of Ram Jethmalani Memorial.  

"About Ram, we say we love him and he was in his words an 'unrepented maverick'. He was an absolute contrary, and would have loved this conversation. I believe he would jump in, plunge in, and we would have had to pull him back. He was that kind of person that whenever he used to interview him, he would sometimes say 'you did not provoke me enough' and he would get very angry in between, and before leaving the studio he would say 'I need to cool down, get me a sandwich and a cup of coffee, I need to have a chat'. He was a wonderful person," said Arnab post the lecture in memory of the late senior advocate and parliamentarian. 

Prof. Faizan Mustafa began his lecture by remembering his association with Ram Jethmalani which dated back to 1993. Speaking on UCC, he said, " I am for Uniform Civil Code, but I am not in one-go doing the UCC. The only way is to go for a peaceful reform, which encompasses small doses of reform."

Madhavi Goradia Divan, Senior Advocate and Additional Solicitor General of the Supreme Court, during her lecture, said, "UCC means different things to different people. It evokes such strong reactions. Some people believe it is a licence to obliterate diversity. I think I want to say first of all, that I don't subscribe to those views at all. It is important at the very outset to emphasise that there is a fundamental difference between the eraser of diversity on one hand and the eraser of disparity on the other hand. The UCC seeks to erase disparity."

"The UCC debate strengthens majoritarian chauvinism on one hand and minority fundamentalism on the other, and that is why I have suggested that let us reform in small doses. For instance, the govt recently increased the age for marriage for girls. This is the reform that will be applicable to all. This is the way to go about it," Prof. Faizan Mustafa said.

"Some argue that why aren't other objectives of Directive Principles being achieved? This is a whataboutery argument. It's like either you achieve all the objectives or don't achieve any. I don't want to sound rude but this is a ridiculous argument, " said Baijayant 'Jay' Panda. 

Baijayant 'Jay' Panda in his lecture said, "India's communal laws-different laws for different communities, this was a communal legacy and it was based on the concept of divide and rule. When we got independence, there was enormous chaos, there was violence and the country was partitioned with a large number of deaths. The founding fathers & mothers of the Constitution of India made it very clear that this, being a subject where the whole country was divided if the different communities can live together. So, they postponed the issue but made it clear in Article 44, that we must have UCC. Postpone does not mean cancel. "

Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, Vice President of BJP, began his lecture by calling it a 'priviledge and pleasure' to speak on the memorial. "I had the privilege of serving with Mr Ram Jethmalani in Parliament, and have interacted with him very closely. His outstanding characteristic was that he was outspoken. He spoke his heart and mind out without any hesitation. He was a maverick and I must say he was partly an inspiration for my first book 'Lutyens Maverick'."

Owaisi batting against UCC, gave an example saying, "Why are Buddhists, Sikhs, Adivasis, Jains, all clubbed under the Hindu Marriage Act? They have all expressed their views that they should not be governed by the Act."

Owaisi opined, "If there is a Uniform Civil Code, Muslims will have to give up on their distinction in favour of what would be nothing but a Hindu Civil Code. All Islamic practices will be treated as unlawful, whereas all Hindu practices will be protected under the law. The best example of this is the Hindu Undivided Family."

AIMIM chief and barrister Asaduddin Owaisi said, "I oppose UCC, and everyone who does that, becomes very unpopular for BJP and everyone who holds the RSS ideology. I will start by quoting Ram Jethmalani- 'if defending an unpopular cause, leads to unpopularity, so be it. I had many disagreements with Mr Jethmalani but I did respect him for his integrity."

Having made her point on UCC, Madhavi Goradia Divan said, "We have postponed this much much longer, for years. But it is never too late. And all the whataboutery, there's a lot of progress that has been made in the direction of the other Directive Principles as well. You know there are other communities, in fact, all communities require reforms. Had we had the UCC decades ago, perhaps the stitch in time would have saved nine."

"I would actually say that the UCC has a feminist agenda because, in matters like marriage, divorce, and inheritance, it is women who have had an unfair deal," said Madhavi Goradia Divan. Tune in to watch:- 

"It is very important for a state, a secular state in particular to treat all its citizens with an even hand. There can be no discrimination between the communities, and therefore, when reform has to be brought in, there has to be equality and even-handedness, which can only be achieved through a UCC," Madhavi Goradia Divan said.

Justice Kurien Joseph (Retd) said, "Is it the hour or time when we have to address all other concerns, of their insecurities, of their dignity to live as free citizens of the country? I don't mean any community. Only about the feeling that UCC will definitely affect Religious Freedom. Yes, it is one of the concerns, because Article 25 provides for Religious Freedom. So, to me, I would say let us reform our own personal laws, which are in conformity to the Constitutional dreams and which will serve the Constitutional values. Then think about this topic (UCC)."

The next speaker, Justice (Retd.) Kurien Joseph in the third edition of the Ram Jethmalani Memorial paid tribute to the late senior advocate, whose last argument he claimed was in his Court. "He was one lawyer approachable to anyone. He was one lawyer who never refused the brief of anybody, and he was one lawyer who argued on all aspects of non-legal jurisprudence," Justice Joseph said, remembering Ram Jethmalani. 

Arif Mohammad Khan said, "If people who have taken the oath of the Constitution argue that the time is not right, let's wait for a few years for UCC, I may understand and I may differ with the viewpoint. But if they outrightly reject the UCC, I am surprised that are they aware, of the oath that they have taken to uphold the Constitution of the country and they do it in name of Islam, and Islam views it very seriously, those who break their oaths."

"I hold the view that since UCC is a part of the Directive Principles of the State Policies, therefore, it is our obligation to create a conducive atmosphere in the country. Go to the people, educate them, and tell them that this is not about creating social uniformity, or civil uniformity. This is about uniformity of justice," Arif Mohammad Khan said. 

"It's been 75 years of freedom. The UCC is not to create uniformity in the country. This country has always celebrated diversity. The people of India have a different racial straws. Their custom and rituals are different. Their goals of worship are different. We have always cherished their diversity, said Arif Mohammad Khan on the 3rd edition of the Ram Jethmalani memorial series. 

On the topic, Arif Mohammad Khan said, "Our problem isn't really the Uniform Civil Code. Our problem is the colonial hangover we've not been able to get over. The Britishers never recognised us as a nation. They said that it is a conglomeration of communities. In 1947, we became free, 1949 we adopted the Constitution. As per the Constitution, it is not the community that is building the law, it is the citizens building the law of India as a nation, as a state."

Welcomed with warm words by Arnab & Rythm, Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammad Khan took over the space remembering Ram Jethmalani. "I would like to pay my tributes to Ram Jethmalani Ji, who was a great legal mind. His remarks in the court and the Parliament were marked by humour. I am personally a beneficiary, and recipient of his love and affection and I remember him fondly," he said. 

The Solicitor General speaking on the topic of the third edition of the memorial series said, "I don't consider UCC a religious issue or with any other angle. Please don't treat this issue even remotely connected with triple talaq. For me it's a question of equality in general & for women."

Welcomed by Arnab & Rythm, in the presence of Mahesh Jethmalani, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta said, "It's a privilege to be back on the Ram Jethmalani Memorial Lecture series. My association with Ram, as we used to lovingly call him, is a long one. In most cases, I appeared with him, some against, but in all, I learnt daily."

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said that the subject- The Uniform Civil Code- is an issue which is being debated at the moment. "This (UCC) is a subject of great contemporaneous relevance. All across the political spectrum must ask if we can further delay it. Because of lack of UCC, several matters are coming to light, many are before the court," he said.

Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court & Rajya Sabha MP, Mahesh Jethmalani welcomed Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar as the Chief Guest. He also welcomed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and the other 6 guests to the discussion.

Moving forward to give a brief background to the topic 'Is the need for a Uniform Civil Code an imperative today?'.  He said, "With the nation reeling from the horrors of the partition, of 1947, and the Hindu-Muslim riots that ensued in its way, the framers of our Constitution did not immediately opt for a Uniform Civil Code but left it to future generations in less turbulent time to frame such a code."

Mahesh Jethmalani, an illustrious son of Ram Jethmalani welcomed the viewers to the third edition of the Ram Jethmalani Memorial series. He said, "It is the measure of the success and popularity of the series that apart from NewsX that had encouraged the series since its inception, Republic TV with its wide viewership has this year chosen to broadcast this event live. We look forward to their continued partnership."

The countdown is over. Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and Executive Editor Rhythm Anand Bhardwaj are set to be joined by the most acclaimed panel on the most esteemed stage. Tune in to watch:- 

There are less than two hours to go for the Ram Jethmalani Memorial Lecture Series. The third edition of this enriching series will take place from 5 PM onwards and shall be telecast live on Republic TV. The theme for this year's edition is: "Has the need for UCC become imperative today?"

Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Jethmalani said, "For this year's 3rd edition of the Ram Jethmalani Memorial series, the topic we have chosen is 'Has the need for a Uniform Civil Code become an imperative today?'

Mr. (Ram) Jethmalani felt very passionately about this issue and had written several articles. He was an ardent believer that the issue promoted social harmony and indeed promoted nationalism itself". 

The theme for this year's edition is 'Has the need for UCC become imperative today?'. While the Uniform Civil Code finds a mention in Article 44 of the Constitution which reads, "The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India", it is not binding being a part of the Directive Principles of State Policy. The implementation of the UCC was one of the key poll promises of the BJP during the Lok Sabha election in 2014 and 2019.

In a tribute to the legendary former Union Minister and jurist, Ram Boolchand Jethmalani, Republic TV has brought back the third edition of his lecture series which will be streamed LIVE on the channel on Saturday, September 17, 5 pm onwards.

The prestigious memorial lecture will address the issue that has recently become the hotbed of Indian politics, and the speakers will share their take on whether the need for Uniform Civil Code (UCC) become "imperative" today.

The UCC means that all sections of the society irrespective of their religion, gender and sexual orientation shall be treated equally according to a national civil code.

Arif Mohammad Khan- Former Union Minister and Kerala Governor

Justice Kurian Joseph (retired)- Former judge of the Supreme Court of India

Madhavi Goradia Divan- Additional Solicitor General of India and senior advocate

Asaduddin Owaisi- AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP

Baijayant 'Jay' Panda- BJP national vice president and spokesperson

Faizan Mustafa- Indian academic and legal scholar & former Vice-Chancellor of NALSAR University of Law