The Delhi High Court on Monday gave more time to the Centre to submit its response to a plea for framing of a uniform civil code (UCC) to promote national integration and gender justice, equality and dignity of women.
A Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice C. Hari Shankar was informed by the counsel appearing for the Centre that it has sought the stand of various States and was waiting for their response.
The High Court has listed the case for hearing on March 2.
Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, said the government has to make its stand clear, whether it has recommended for drafting a UCC to the Law Commission or not.
Besides Mr. Upadhyay, who is a BJP leader and also a lawyer, there are four other similar petitions seeking UCC.
Lawyer Abhinav Beri had moved for direction to the Centre to constitute a judicial commission or a high-level expert committee to draft a UCC for securing gender justice, equality and dignity of women.
Firoz Bakht Ahmed, the chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University and grand nephew of first Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad too filed a petition on the issue.
All the petitioners, in their respective pleas, have contended that India “urgently needs a Uniform Civil Code” to promote national integration as well as gender justice, equality and dignity of women.
The petitions have claimed that a UCC would replace the personal laws, based on the scriptures and customs of various religious communities, with a common set of rules governing every citizen of the country.
