EXCLUSIVE | ‘UCC Cannot Wait Any Longer’: Rebel Former TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy Backs Uniform Law Push

Trinamool Congress’ rebel former Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy has backed the push for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), saying the country has waited for decades for a comprehensive law on the issue.

Speaking in an exclusive conversation with Republic TV on the UCC Bill tabled in the West Bengal Assembly, Roy said four decades had passed since the landmark 1985 Shah Bano judgment, which stressed the need for implementing UCC under Article 44 of the Constitution.

Citing the Supreme Court’s observations in the Shah Bano case and the 1995 Sarla Mudgal judgment, Roy said both verdicts underlined the importance of a common civil code.

'Article 44 Is Not A Dead Letter’: Roy’s Big Push For UCC

“Article 44 is not a dead letter,” Roy said, arguing that the Directive Principles of State Policy continue to remain significant for governance.

Roy said previous governments, including those led by Rajiv Gandhi and P V Narasimha Rao, did not bring comprehensive UCC legislation despite the need for legal uniformity.

The former TMC MP said a UCC law would help strengthen “national integration, gender fairness and legal uniformity” while addressing inconsistencies between different personal laws.

Bengal UCC Bill Sparks Fresh Political Storm

Roy added that the Constitution makers had included Directive Principles after detailed discussions and that these provisions were meant to guide governance.

“After 76 years of adoption of the sacred Constitution, it is incumbent upon the Government to legislate UCC without further loss of time,” Roy said.

ALSO READ: Justice In 55 Days: 65-Year-Old Man Sentenced To Death For Raping, Murdering 3-Year-Old In Pune’s Nasrapur