Yesterday, lawmakers in a small Indian state governed by the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a landmark legislation that unifies civil laws among religions, a move opposed by many leaders of the Muslim minority in India.
The enactment in the state of Uttarakhand, located in the Himalayan region, of this law makes it the first state in the country since its independence from Britain in 1947 to adopt and implement a uniform civil law.
This approval of the law comes months before the general elections in India, a controversial promise from the Bharatiya Janata Party that has been in existence for decades.
Currently, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and other minorities in India follow personal laws and customs specific to each group, or an optional secular law for marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession.
It is expected that the step taken by the state of Uttarakhand, which prohibits polygamy and other Islamic practices, will pave the way for other states governed by the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party to follow suit, despite the strong opposition from the influential Muslim minority leaders in India, estimated at 200 million people.
This law, derived from the secular Indian constitution, sets a limit on the minimum age of marriage for both genders. It ensures equality in rights between men and women in matters related to divorce and inheritance, granting rights to adopted children and children born out of wedlock or through a surrogate mother.
India is comprised of approximately 80% Hindus and 14% Muslims, hosting the third-largest number of Muslims in a single country in the world.
Muslims accuse the right-wing extremist Modi’s party of following a biased Hindu-focused agenda that directly opposes their Islamic beliefs.
Muslims also complain of oppression since Modi took office, leading to outbreaks of sectarian violence that have claimed the lives of many Muslims. Additionally, Hindus are seizing historical mosques and lands from Muslims on the pretext that they are “sacred lands” for Hindu temples.
The new law mandates that both men and women register their marriage and notify a government office if they are cohabiting. Police must also be informed if cohabitation is terminated.
