New Delhi, July 26: Reacting to the observations of the Supreme Court on Uniform Civil Code, a Muslim body today said it has revived a controversial issue which would stir communal polarisation in the "already much-divided nation". The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) in a statement said, though the observation was not binding on Parliament, it has come as a "windfall for the Sangh Parivar to stir communal polarisation in already much divided nation".

Chief Justice of India Justice V N Khare in a judgement in a case relating to the applicability of the Indian succession act 1926 to Christians, had observed that a Common Civil Code could be a factor for national integration.

Disagreeing with the observation, AIMMM president Syed Shahabuddin said it has "unwittingly revived a controversial issue" which was put to rest by the NDA in 1999.

"The idea of a common civil code was impractable today," he said.

"Integration does not mean assimilation, coercion cannot promote integration. Equality does not mean uniformity. Diversity of laws flows from social plurality and does not attract Article 14," he said.
The AIMMM failed to understand the logic of the apex court on the issue, the former MP said and added, "There is always a case for social reform within the framework of the Shariat but not for the separation of Muslim Personal Law from the Quran and the traditions of the holy prophet".

The Constitution brackets freedom of conscience with freedom of religion, therefore, it cannot ignore the essentials of religious faith based on scriptures, he said.

Bureau Report