RAIPUR: Prominent members of the Muslim community, including legal experts, Islamic scholars, ulema and lawyers, have decided to constitute a state-level committee to prepare a comprehensive suggestion paper on the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Chhattisgarh.
The decision was taken during a consultation meeting at Ghasidas Museum in Raipur on Tuesday, where participants discussed various aspects of the proposed legislation and its implications for Muslim personal law.
The committee will conduct consultations across all divisions and districts of the state and seek views from Islamic scholars, lawyers, mutawallis, women and social organisations. A joint team of legal experts and ulema will subsequently examine and compile the suggestions into a factual and constitutionally grounded document for submission to the state government’s UCC committee.
The consultation discussed issues related to Muslim marriage and nikah, meher, divorce, maintenance, inheritance, wills, and the rights of women and children. Participants stressed the need for constructive engagement with the UCC process rather than viewing it solely through the prism of opposition.
They said the proposed suggestions would seek to place relevant provisions of Shariat concerning justice and family rights alongside constitutional guarantees of equality and freedom of religion.
Chhattisgarh State Waqf Board chairman Dr Salim Raj chaired the meeting, while All Muslim Welfare Foundation president Mohammad Siraj conducted the proceedings.
Senior advocate and Waqf Board member Faisal Rizvi, City Qazi Qari Dr Mohammad Imran Ashrafi, Mufti Ayyub Khan Azhari, former Madrasa Board chairman Haji Yunus Qureshi, and representatives of the Sunni, Shia, Bohra and Memon communities attended the consultation.
