Less than a week after the Law Commission asked if the practice of triple talaq could be abolished and whether a uniform civil code should be optional, the All India Muslim Personal Law (AIMPLB) Board on Thursday announced its boycott of the Law Commission's questionnaire.
Addressing the media, AIMPLB announced its boycott of Law Commission's proposal saying," Uniform Civil Code is not good for this nation. There are so many cultures in this nation and those have to be respected."
Stating that they were living in this country with an agreement held by the Constitution which had let them live and practice their religion, Hazrat Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani of the Muslim Personal Law Board (MPLB) said," In America, everyone follows their personal laws and identity, how come our nation doesn't want to follow their steps in this matter?"
Attacking the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government Rahmani said, "Modi government is applying diversionary tactics. We are satisfied with our own religious rules."
Rahmani also said that Muslims equally participated in India’s freedom struggle, but their participation is always underestimated.
However, he decline to comment on the triple talaq and said that they stand by the affidavit filed in the court regarding the matter.
The Law Commission on Friday has sought public opinion on the exercise of reforming family laws of all religions.
Amid a raging debate on the uniform civil code, the law panel had on Monday sought public views on the subject to revise and reform family laws, saying the aim is to address social injustice rather than plurality of laws.
In an appeal issued, the Commission said the objective behind the endeavour is to address discrimination against vulnerable groups and harmonise the various cultural practices even as it assured the people that the "norms of no one class, group or community will dominate the tone and tenor of family law reforms".
In an accompanying questionnaire, the Commission has asked whether the existing personal laws and customary practices needed codification and whether it would benefit people.
Should the practice of triple talaq be abolished, retained or retained with suitable amendments; and whether a uniform civil code should be optional are among 16 queries by the commission.
It has also sought to know whether the uniform code should include subjects like divorce, marriage, adoption, child custody, succession and inheritance.
(With agency inputs)
