BharatNotes ⚖️ Polity & Constitution
Uniform Civil Code
GS2
Uniform Civil Code
The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is a proposed common set of personal laws governing matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance for all citizens of India, irrespective of religion. It is mandated as a state goal by Article 44 of the Constitution, which directs the State to "endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India."
Context & Background
India currently follows religion-specific personal laws — for example the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and Hindu Succession Act, 1956, Muslim personal law, the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872 and the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936. Article 44 sits in Part IV (Directive Principles of State Policy), making it a non-justiciable guideline rather than an enforceable right; the Constituent Assembly deliberately placed it there as a compromise despite Dr B.R. Ambedkar's support for a common code. Goa has long operated a common civil code derived from the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867, and in 2025 Uttarakhand became the first Indian state since independence to enact a UCC law.
UPSC Exam Relevance
The UCC is a foundational GS2 concept that underpins questions on Directive Principles of State Policy, secularism, federalism, gender justice and the tension between fundamental rights and personal laws. Prelims testing centres on Article 44, its placement in Part IV (non-justiciable), and landmark cases such as Shah Bano (1985), Sarla Mudgal (1995) and Shayara Bano (2017). Mains and Essay typically frame it as a debate — reconciling Article 25 (freedom of religion) with Articles 14–15 (equality and non-discrimination) and assessing whether uniformity or reform of personal laws better serves gender justice.
