The Supreme Court has again called for the enactment of a uniform civil code as enjoined in Article 44 of the Constitution.
Such calls in the Shah Bano case and a few other judgments had created controversy in the past. This is the first time that the court has renewed the call during the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government and it is likely to start another bout of debate.
The passage recommending uniform civil code is found in the judgment delivered by Chief Justice VN Khare while striking down Section 118 of the Indian Succession Act as it was found to be discriminatory against Christians.
The Chief Justice alone, among the three-judge Bench, devoted one long paragraph to the need for a code as it would