Katju pitches for uniform civil law

Says Muslim Personal Law is unjust

New Delhi: Press Council of India Chairperson Markandey Katju on Tuesday favoured a uniform civil law in the country, saying the Muslim personal law is "unjust" as it treats women as "inferior".

"Muslim personal law is an unjust law, it is a barbaric, outdated law because it treats women as inferior. Oral talaq is permitted only to men," he said.

He claimed that even Hindu law was similarly feudal in nature but changes were made in it after "tremendous efforts" by Jawaharlal Nehru.

There was a time when a Hindu man could marry as many wives and property was inherited only by the son, he claimed. According to Katju, in the age of equality the same law should be applicable to both men and women. "If a Muslim woman wants divorce she has to approach a court but a husband can get it by only saying 'talaq' thrice," he said. "Every modern country has one single law for everybody, it is only here because vote banks are needed," Katju, who was speaking at an interaction organised by Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC), said.

He also said that evils like honour killings and dowry deaths related offences prevail in the society and added that he was in favour of strict punishment being meted out to perpetrators of such crimes.

Asked whether a separate law is needed to address so- called 'honour crimes', Katju claimed the reality was sometimes some chief ministers do not want to antagonise certain caste groups because of which the administrations turns a blind eye to some of the wrongdoings.