Ex-AG Soli slams Muslim board over Uniform Civil Code

Slamming Muslim bodies on Saturday for their decision to boycott Uniform Civil Code, former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee said their attitude shows that regressive mentality , adding that woman cannot be treated like a community.

"I think it is meaningless. It shows a very regressive mentality. They should on the contrary give the answers and tell how triple talaq should be maintained or triple talaq may be modified," he said

"A Uniform Civil Code is one aspect, the main thing is the personal laws of any community with regard to gender equality and with regard to fundamental rights, because personal laws must yield to the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution, whether its Muslim community, Hindu community or any other community." he added.

"A woman, a wife, cannot be treated as commodity; that is the whole point. There should be some restriction the way husband exercises his right to divorce his wife by saying 'talaq talaq talaq'," Soli told ANI here.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), along with several other organisations associated with the Muslim community, has opposed the Law Commission's questionnaire on the possibility of the UCC, declaring that the move amounts to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government declaring "war" on their religious rights.

The threat of Muslim organisations to "boycott" the Law Commission questionnaire also comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court hearing a challenge to triple talaq where the Centre termed the custom unconstitutional and violative of gender equality.

Accusing the government of waging "war" against the community and contending that the UCC, if implemented, will threaten the country's pluralism, the Muslim organisations have said that they would start a campaign to withdraw the Law Commission's move.