Meghalaya: Three District Councils oppose Uniform Civil Code in Sixth Schedule areas

All three autonomous district councils (ADCs) - KHADC, JHADC and GHADC on Monday informed that after a joint meeting held they have unanimously decided to jointly pass a resolution to oppose the Centre's move to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. 

The joint meeting was held today at the KHADC. 

"We have unanimously decided that we will jointly pass a resolution that implementation of UCC in the Sixth Schedule area will be totally opposed (by us) and we also pass a resolution in our respective councils soon regarding this matter," KHADC chief Titosstarwell Chyne told reporters after the meeting. 

The UCC is a proposal to formulate and implement personal laws of citizens which apply to all citizens equally. 

Also Read: Meghalaya: JHADC slams West Karbi Anglong DC over claims on Khanduli

He said that the meeting had discussed at length the intention of the central government to introduce the UCC Bill in the country while adding that "we feel that UCC will directly have an impact on the powers and functions of the ADCs, especially with our customs, our traditional practices, community as a whole."

When asked if a special session will be convened in this regard, Chyne said hopefully a special session will be called by next month as they would like to speed up this matter.

"There are so many problems as I have said that it (UCC) will affect our traditional customs like the marriage system. Once this UCC is implemented, we will have a uniform marriage system but here in our customs, we have differences, so religious and traditional customs will be affected. As Scheduled Tribe, we feel implementation of this UCC will not be acceptable in the state," he said.

Further, the KHADC chief said that the state government will also have to go in the same line once a resolution is passed by the three ADCs as was done in the case of the Citizenship Amendment Act.  

"...the CAA has been exempted in the Scheduled area I think the UCC should also be exempted from the Sixth Schedule. Therefore, we are demanding for exemption of the UCC from the Sixth Schedule area," he further maintained.