{"id":4093,"date":"2026-09-18T08:41:58","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T08:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/?p=4093"},"modified":"2026-09-19T08:46:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T08:46:41","slug":"ucc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/ucc\/","title":{"rendered":"UCC"},"content":{"rendered":"<table style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<blockquote><p><b>SYLLABUS: Indian Polity<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>General Studies \u2013 : II <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Constitution\u2014historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><b>IN NEWS:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> What is the Uniform Civil Code debate?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>QUESTION: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To what extent can constitutional morality be invoked to reform personal laws that are alleged to discriminate against women? Discuss.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>ANSWER: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constitutional morality refers to the adherence to the fundamental principles, values, and ideals embedded within a Constitution\u2014such as liberty, equality, non-discrimination, human dignity, and justice. In the Indian context, it serves as a crucial judicial tool for evaluating laws against the moral framework established by the Constitution, rather than relying on societal or majoritarian morality.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Constitutional Morality as a Tool for Personal Law Reform<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Supremacy of Fundamental Rights over Customary Laws:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Under Article 13(1), any law in force before the commencement of the Constitution that violates Fundamental Rights is void. Judicial interpretation increasingly holds that faith-based personal practices cannot claim immunity if they violate Articles 14 (Equality), 15 (Prohibition of discrimination), and 21 (Right to Life and Personal Dignity).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Affirmation of Gender Equality and Individual Dignity:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In the landmark <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sabarimala case (Indian Young Lawyers Association v. State of Kerala, 2018)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shayara Bano v. Union of India (2017)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Supreme Court emphasized that constitutional morality prioritizes individual rights and dignity over institutional or religious practices that enforce gender-based exclusion.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Overcoming Majoritarian and Societal Morality:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Judicial reliance on constitutional morality prevents courts from bowing to entrenched societal prejudices or patriarchal traditions, ensuring that vulnerable or marginalized groups\u2014particularly women\u2014receive constitutional protection.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Key Challenges and Limitations in Invoking Constitutional Morality<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Tension with Religious Freedom (Articles 25 and 26):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Faith communities often argue that personal laws form an essential part of their freedom of religion. Striking a balance between individual gender rights (Article 14) and collective freedom of conscience (Article 25) remains a contentious constitutional challenge.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Judicial Overreach and Subjectivity:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Critics argue that &#8220;constitutional morality&#8221; lacks a rigid statutory definition, giving broad discretion to judges. Applying it too aggressively to religious domains without legislative action risks allegations of judicial overreach and statutory instability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Social Resistance and Backlash:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Top-down judicial reform driven purely by constitutional interpretation can provoke community resistance if not accompanied by organic social awareness or legislative consensus, potentially undermining compliance on the ground.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constitutional morality acts as a vital transformative standard to ensure that personal laws do not become instruments of gender-based oppression. While judicial interventions based on constitutional values are essential to strike down discriminatory practices, long-term gender justice is best achieved when constitutional morality guides legislative action toward comprehensive reform and social sensitization.<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<blockquote><p><b>PYQ REFERENCE UPSC 2021<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q. &#8220;Constitutional Morality is rooted in the Constitution itself and is founded on its essential facets. Explain the doctrine of &#8216;Constitutional Morality&#8217; with the help of relevant judicial decisions.&#8221; (10 Marks, 150 Words)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><b style=\"font-style: inherit;\">SOURCE: <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/204750\/OPS\/GIGGGUJAP.1+GTJGHUUF1.1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hindu e-paper &#8211; What is the Uniform Civil Code debate?<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SYLLABUS: Indian Polity General Studies \u2013 : II Indian Constitution\u2014historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.\u00a0\u00a0 IN 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