The Gujarat Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Committee on Monday directed the Deputy Secretary of the State Authorized Division to “provoke additional motion” into the grievance filed by the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) looking for investigation right into a “consent kind” that was allegedly being circulated in government-run faculties in sure districts within the state. The MCC had alleged that the kinds have been being circulated to “coerce college students of the minority neighborhood” to help the implementation of UCC.
The letter of the UCC panel, dated April 7, states, “On Sunday, April 6, we obtained a formal grievance from Waqar Yunus Patel (MCC member) on e mail, looking for investigation into the UCC kind being distributed to high school college students. It’s requested to contemplate the information within the case and provoke additional motion within the matter.”
The letter is signed by Sheetal Goswami, Secretary to the Gujarat UCC Committee, which is headed by Retired Justice Ranjana Desai. The MCC, the official committee of minorities in Gujarat, filed a proper grievance on Sunday a day after its members communicated to (Retd) Justice Desai concerning the alleged distribution of the “consent kind”, which is predicated on the suggestions kind uploaded on the Gujarat UCC web site.
On Saturday, members of MCC had mentioned that the “unattributed doc” was present in a number of authorities major faculties in Vadodara metropolis, together with Akota and Tandalja areas. The event had occurred three days after a number of government-run faculties in Naswadi taluka of Chhota Udepur district have been alleged to have “coerced college students to file consent” to UCC.
Lodging a grievance with the Gujarat UCC Committee Chairperson, MCC member Sagirahamed Ansari acknowledged, “I want to convey to your pressing consideration that a number of government-run faculties are reportedly coercing college students, instead of their mother and father, to signal paperwork supporting the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). This observe is just not solely unethical and deceptive, but it surely additionally violates the rights of each the scholars and their households… Such actions undermine the ideas of knowledgeable consent and democratic course of. I urge you to take instant steps to research this matter and guarantee accountability of these accountable.”
Ansari additionally lodged a grievance with the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Workplace, stating, “Such actions undermine the integrity of our instructional establishments and exploit minors for political achieve. I request your instant intervention to research this matter totally, maintain these accountable accountable, and be sure that faculties stay areas of studying — not propaganda.”
Chatting with The Indian Specific on Monday, Ansari mentioned, “Volunteers of the minority committee learnt in regards to the kind being given to college students of the Akota major college on Saturday. Comparable cases have occurred in different government-run faculties within the state, the place youngsters are being made to signal the shape… That is unlawful as the kids will not be solely minors but additionally unaware. The shape seems to be based mostly on the Gujarat UCC web site however we aren’t conscious the place it has originated from. We filed a proper grievance on Sunday.”
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A district official of Chhota Udepur mentioned that the matter that got here to gentle within the tribal space of Naswadi was “being appeared into” as academics of the colleges within the area had claimed that the shape had been despatched by the Cluster Useful resource Centres (which comes below the training division). An official of the training division mentioned, “The academics have obtained the final UCC consent kinds from the Cluster Useful resource Centre to replenish responses of people… We’re nonetheless wanting into the grievance.”
Retired Senior IAS officer CL Meena, a member of Gujarat UCC Committee, had advised this newspaper on Saturday that the panel had made a “basic enchantment” to individuals who had attained the age of 18 years, to submit their “opinions”, including no such train had been suggested for faculties.
“We’ll look into the matter. We’ve made basic appeals in public looking for voluntary opinions of individuals, who’ve attained 18 years of age. If there may be substance within the grievance that faculty youngsters below 18 are being made to consent to UCC kinds, we’ll give instructions to the District Collectors accordingly,” he had mentioned.
What’s within the doc?
The contentious “doc”, in Gujarati language, is titled “A Questionnaire on Uniform Civil Code- Gujarat” and is predicated on the shape inviting particular person strategies out there on the Gujarat UCC web site. The print-out of the shape, allegedly circulated amongst faculties, contains the identical 13 questions listed on the Gujarat UCC web site in addition to a suggestion field. The shape additionally seeks private data comparable to identify, cell phone quantity, identify of the establishment by way of which it’s being crammed in addition to the designation of the individual together with the signature.
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One of many questions seeks opinion on topics of marriage, divorce, upkeep, live-in relationships and household legal guidelines. The questions embody opinion on whether or not “differential remedy” to rights of women and men in religion-based household legal guidelines must be completed away with; ought to there be obligatory registration of divorce and nullity of marriage; whether or not UCC might be carried out with out infringing the basic rights assured below the structure; whether or not girls’s rights in live-in relationships must be included below UCC in addition to the suitable of inheritance and upkeep of kids born by way of live-in relationships.