Why Anti-Triple Talaq Crusader Shayara Bano Affirms Uniform Civil Code

Shayara Bano, the pioneer anti-triple talaq activist from Uttarakhand expressed her support for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as its draft was presented to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on February 2. Speaking to Asian News International, Bano said, "In the coming time, the UCC bill will be very beneficial for the women of the Muslim community. This will also lead to the development of society rightly." The UCC, which proposes a common set of laws dealing with marriage, inheritance, adoption, and other matters, has been a topic of much contention for several years.

Uttarakhand had constituted a panel on the Uniform Civil Code under Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai on May 27, 2022. The UCC bill was promised to the people of the state in the run-up to the 2022 Assembly polls in Uttarakhand. Now that the draft has been proposed, the government will place the bill in the House during the session on February 5. CM Dhami took to Twitter to evoke positive anticipation over the Bill. 

उत्तराखण्ड की देवतुल्य जनता के समक्ष रखे गए संकल्प के अनुरूप समान नागरिक संहिता लागू करने की दिशा में आगे बढ़ते हुए आज देहरादून में UCC ड्राफ्ट तैयार करने के उद्देश्य से गठित कमेटी से मसौदा प्राप्त हुआ।

आगामी विधानसभा सत्र में समान नागरिक संहिता का विधेयक पेश किया जाएगा और… pic.twitter.com/XaEdf5ynqB

— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) February 2, 2024

Who Is Shayara Bano?

Shayara Bano was the first Muslim woman to have questioned the constitutionality of triple talaq in the Supreme Court, which allowed any Muslim man to legally divorce his wife, simply by uttering the word 'talaq' three times in oral, written or, more recently, electronic form. Bano challenged the apex court in 2014 four months after her husband "declared" his divorce through a speed post.

In 2020, Bano delved into politics, joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Bansidhar Bhagat. Only ten days later, se was appointed to the position of Vice-Chairperson of the Uttarakhand Commission for Women. She was given the status along with two other women, Jyoti Shah Ranikhet in Almora district and Pushpa Paswan from Chamoli district.

A press statement issued by the Uttarakhand government read, “Shayara Bano has been appointed as vice-chairperson in the state women commission along with two others- Jyoti Shah and Pushpa Paswan with minister of state (MoS) status." This was when Trivendra Singh Rawat was the chief minister.