New Delhi

Women members of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have demanded a ban on polygamy and fixing the minimum age of marriage of girls. A delegation of the MRM submitted these and other proposals on the Uniform Civil Code draft bill to the Chairperson of the National Law Commission Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi

The group of 20 women led by Shalini Ali, head of the women's wing of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, met Justice Awasthi at his office and supported the idea of introducing the UCC in the country.

Shalini Ali told the commission that marriage registration should be Aadhaar card linked to make a foolproof system against polygamy. She also submitted a model Nikahnama (Contract of Marriage in Islam) to the Commission.

Zahira Begum, Babli Parveen, Shama Khan, Anwar Jahan, Professor Shadab Tabassum, Professor Shereen, Dr. Shaheen Jafri, and Professor Sonu Bhati were members of the delegation.

Justice Awasthi told the commission that there is a lot of confusion regarding the draft UCC, but people must not worry. “It came out clearly in the meeting that UCC will empower the people of the country irrespective of their religion,” a release of the MRM said.

Shahid Sayeed, spokesperson of MRM told media persons that two other delegations had met Justice Awasthi earlier. He said the following were the key points made by the delegations before the Law Commission:

Emphasising gender equality the forum said this is very important for the development of society. "Women and men are the basic pillars of the society. Gender inequality in society is a deliberately created chasm that makes the journey to achieving a level playing field for men and women difficult," the MRM memorandum said.

Abolishing child marriage and setting a minimum age for marriage across communities and followers of different religions is one of the demands of the MRM. The women explained that in many places, girls are married at the age of 12 to 14. This hampers the physical and psychological development of women, makes them experience early motherhood, and impacts their health. The women have no chance of becoming financially independent.

They also sought adoption rights for both parents. At present Muslims, Christians and Parsis do not come under the purview of Adoption law. The adoption of children should become a universal law, the women said.

On Polygamy, the MRM members said the colonial rule in India had outlawed polygamy. However, after independence, the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 outlawed the practice of polygamy among Hindus. The Manch believes that a ban on polygamy must be across the communities.

They quoted the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) survey that states that although polygamy is not legal in India, barring Muslims, it continues to be practiced in some sections of society.

The members urged that in the proposed law people should be allowed to organize weddings as per their religious ways and registration of the same must be made mandatory. Divorces should also be registered, the women demanded.

“Wrong practices prohibited in any religion are strictly prohibited in the developing society and the Law Commission should also recommend strict steps on this,” the delegation demanded.

Finally, the women members of the MRM that all individuals should have equal rights in all matters of property and inheritance.