Law Minister Arun Jaitley declared in the Lok Sabha today that the Government would evolve a consensus before making any move to introduce a legislation for the enforcement of a common civil code. Four members — M. Chinnasamy (AIADMK), Rama Mohan Gadde (TDP), N. Janardhana Reddy (Congress) and Chandra Narain Singh (SP) — had put a short-notice question seeking to know whether the Government was thinking of framing a uniform civil code in the wake of the recent Supreme Court verdict. The Minister said: ‘‘The Government has not taken any decision to frame a uniform civil code.”When asked by AIADMK members about a time frame for the purpose, Jaitley said a debate on the matter has been going on for quite some time. ‘‘There are strong views in favour and against and hence there is a need for a debate on the issue. Making amendments in personal laws to bring them in consonance with the constitutional guarantees is done only after discussions with community and political leaders. Several laws have been amended in the past, including those of the Christian community. This is an ongoing process.’’ Jaitley said the Government is not keen on a debate at this point as it would first try for a consensus.
