India, March 5 -- After Uttarakhand promulgated a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), a few other BJP-ruled states followed suit. Gujarat has set up a committee to draft its code, which held its first sitting on Tuesday. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam have also moved for similar laws.

Article 44 of the Constitution, as a directive principle, says that there should be an endeavour towards promulgating a UCC for all citizens of India. Different civil codes in the states are antithetical to the very constitutional idea of UCC. Instead of unifying the citizens of the country under the umbrella of a common code, state-wise codes do the opposite. Such a scenario can be intrinsically divisive, as a nation with different civil laws in different ...