Former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi described the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as a “very important” step towards national unity and social justice and stressed the need to build consensus before its implementation.
Rajya Sabha member Gogoi, while supporting the idea of ’one nation, one election’ at ‘Surat Litfest 2025’ on Sunday, said that frequent elections affect governance, increase administrative and financial pressure.
The former Chief Justice said, “I see the Uniform Civil Code as a very progressive law, which will work to change various traditional practices.” Gogoi said there is no debate that it is a constitutional law. This is the aim and it is mentioned in Article 44.
He said that if UCC is implemented, it will lead to uniform personal law for all citizens, irrespective of their faith. This will apply to matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance and maintenance. Uniform Civil Code in India has been a major issue in the successive election manifestos of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“I think this will be an important step towards national integration and is necessary to achieve social justice,” Gogoi said. We should make it clear that there is no conflict with Articles 25 and 26 relating to practice of religion.
During the session, Gogoi discussed various issues with Prafulla Ketkar, editor of ‘Organiser’ associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Gogoi said the UCC is being implemented brilliantly in Goa and we need to “build consensus and stop misinformation”.
The former Chief Justice said that UCC has no connection with religion. He also said that the Supreme Court had said in five cases ranging from Shah Bano case to the right of Muslim women to maintenance allowance that the government should consider it.
Gogoi pointed out that the Uniform Civil Code could be a way to unify the country and resolve the pending cases related to various civil and personal matters, which affect social justice.
“But I would request the government and MPs not to rush the process,” he said. Build consensus first. Make people understand what UCC really is. When you build consensus, people will understand. However, a section will always pretend not to understand it.”
On the ‘one nation, one election’ proposal, Gogoi said former President Ramnath Kovind had sought his and four-five other former chief justices’ opinion, and they had supported the idea.
