Activists, NGOs seek alignment of UCC with laws protecting persons with disabilities
New Delhi, July 29
A day after the end of the extended deadline for submitting comments and suggestions on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), disability rights group on Saturday urged the law panel to align the UCC with existing laws protecting the rights of persons with disabilities (PwDs).
In a letter written to the law panel, they stressed the importance of aligning the UCC with existing laws protecting the rights of PwDs such as the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, saying a nuanced approach was needed to address the specific vulnerabilities faced by them and protect their rights.
The Law Commission — which advises the government on legal issues – has started the process of scrutinising the responses received from various stakeholders to prepare a report on the contentious issue, sources said, adding more than 50 lakh responses – mostly online – had been filed till July 13.
The panel was expected to call certain organisations and individuals for a personal hearing.
Noting that the UCC, it is believed, will seek to establish uniformity in personal laws, encompassing marriage, maintenance, adoption, guardianship, inheritance, property rights and community properties, they said that “any discussion on these issues needs to take their voices, concerns, needs and vulnerabilities into account.”
The UCC, if implemented without careful consideration, could have significant implications for individuals with disabilities, they said, advocating comprehensive consultations with PwDs and their representative organisations.
