22nd Law Committee: the 22nd Law Committee will have very little time to review the Common Code if a matter is referred to it

The 22nd Law Commission will have very little time to delve into the sensitive subject of a uniform civil code for the country if the government decides to seek its recommendation on the matter. The Laws Commission is constituted for three years and the 22nd Laws Commission was notified on February 24, 2020, but the main vacancies on the panel, including that of the president, must be filled, sources in the council said. government.

BJP Lok Sabha member Nishikant Dubey raised the issue of the importance of having a uniform civil code in a Zero Hour reference in December last year. Responding to the question, Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju wrote to Dubey in January, saying that Article 44 of the Constitution provides that the state shall endeavor to assure citizens of a uniform civil code throughout Indian Territory. .

“Given the importance and sensitivity of the subject at hand and the fact that it requires an in-depth study of the provisions of the various personal laws governing the various communities, a proposal to examine questions relating to the uniform civil code and to making recommendations was forwarded to the 21st Law Commission of India,” he said.

However, the mandate of the 21st Law Commission ended on August 31, 2018. “The matter could be taken up by the 22nd Law Commission of India,” Rijiju said.

In June 2016, the Union Department of Justice had asked the 21st Law Panel to review issues relating to the Uniform Civil Code.

After extensive research and a number of consultations held over two years, the Commission released a consultation paper on family law reform in India.

The legal committee advises the government on complex legal issues.

The Uniform Civil Code has been part of successive BJP election manifestos.