Shillong, May 27: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Wednesday said he would not make any final comment on the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) until he studies the actual draft, though he admitted that recent UCC laws in states like Uttarakhand and Assam, which exempt tribal laws, have given him “slightly more comfort.”
Speaking to reporters, Sangma said the term “UCC” alone was too broad and vague to respond to without knowing the exact provisions included in the proposed law. “I have been very clear on UCC on one perspective and that perspective has been that I cannot comment on a UCC if I don’t see the format of the UCC,” he said.
The Chief Minister explained that it was important to understand what aspects of civil laws would become “universal” under such a code before forming an opinion. Reflecting on his earlier opposition to the idea, Sangma said his concerns were rooted in the need to protect tribal customs and traditional systems in Meghalaya. “In the beginning when people asked me about UCC, I said no, we cannot have UCC because we are tribals and our tribal laws are different,” he stated.
However, he said his views became “slightly more at comfort” after observing how states like Uttarakhand and Assam framed their respective UCC laws while excluding tribal customary laws from their ambit. “Now, we have seen the context of it and how the UCC is coming out in different states. If you look at the UCC in Uttarakhand or Assam, they are not touching tribal laws,” Sangma said.
He further stated that since those laws clearly mention exemptions for tribal communities, the situation becomes “different” from what was initially feared. Despite this, the Chief Minister maintained that Meghalaya would carefully study any future proposal before taking a stand. “When that kind of situation comes in, of course we have to study things carefully. We like to see the details of it though it is from a different state and it is their law,” he said.
Sangma also highlighted that one of the biggest concerns for Meghalaya was the possible impact on the state’s matrilineal system if a national law were imposed without safeguards. “We were worried that our matrilineal system tomorrow will be changed and a national law will come in that will completely change the way the tribals in our state follow the matrilineal system,” he said.
He added that while recent developments indicate tribal rights are being protected “at least on paper,” the state government would continue to examine the issue thoroughly before making any final comments.
