DIMAPUR — The Poumai Naga Union (PNU) has opposed the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC), stating that it will affect the Naga customary laws existing since time immemorial.
In a letter to the Chairperson, Law Commission of India, submitted through the deputy commissioner of Senapati district, the apex body of the Poumai Nagas in Manipur said that as a Scheduled Tribe in the state of Manipur, the community has ‘distinct traditional, social and customary practices governed by the Naga customary law that deal with subjects related to marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance and succession’.
It said that the implementation of the UCC will not only adversely affect the Naga customary laws but also could have serious consequences on the country.
‘The article 44 contained in part IV of the Constitution of India is a Directive Principle and as such it is only an enabling provision and not mandatory in nature. Therefore, it cannot be imposed upon the citizens while trying to codify the Uniform Civil Code,’ it wrote.
The PNU, therefore, appealed to the Law Commission of India not to implement the proposed UCC in the interest of the Indian citizens, particularly the Naga Scheduled Tribes.
