Uniform Civil Code

Article 44 of the Constitution, a Directive Principle of State Policy, directs the state to secure a Uniform Civil Code — a common personal law for all citizens governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption — in place of religion-based personal laws such as the Hindu Succession Act, the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, and the Indian Christian Marriage Act. Gender justice was argued in the Shah Bano and Sarla Mudgal cases. State secularism, gender justice, and minority rights under Articles 25–29 stand in tension with one another, which is why the question recurs rather than settles.