Tomichan Matheikal's blog

I have read quite a few articles on the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and none of them seem to have anything good to say about it. Most of them view it as a political stunt meant to create a sectarian strife with the 2024 general elections around the corner. One of the best illustrations comes from Madhyamam weekly.  Uniform Civil Code is something that the Constituent Assembly discussed in detail and left aside as something not quite practical in a country like India which has too many diverse cultures and practices. I lived in Shillong for a decade and a half. The people of Meghalaya – Khasis, Garos and Jaintias – have their own traditional tribal cultures and practices which are not like the mainland’s culture and practices at all. They all follow slightly different versions of the matrilineal system. The youngest daughter inherits the family property. The surname of the children comes from the mother and not the father though the maternal uncle plays a vital role in ma...

The Supreme Court's ruling on Islamic (sharia) courts is a move in the right direction.  Religious courts have no legal binding in India though a lot of such courts became very active recently, of particular concern being the khap panchayats that sealed the fate of many people in some of the North Indian states.  Among the many bizarre judgements delivered by the kangaroo courts is one in which a young woman was 'legally' raped by almost a whole village in West Bengal merely because the man she chose to marry belonged to a different religion.    When the Constitution of India allowed every citizen to follow his/her religion and its practices, it was not handing over the law on a platter to the priests.  Religions cannot be parallel judiciaries. They can guide and help believers to lead good lives.  In that process of guidance and counselling, if both the aggrieved parties arrive at a consensus the judiciary of the country won't generally interfere unless...