The so-called "unified civil code" bill, drafted by Narendra Modi's Hindu government, forces Indians of all faiths to invoke the same laws on marriage, divorce, and inheritance, which prohibit polygamy and give men and women equal inheritance rights.
Critics of the bill said it was aimed at India's 200 million Muslims and saw it as one of the principles of the ideological agenda of Hindu nationalism of Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Since independence, India has allowed all religious communities to follow its own laws on issues such as divorce, marriage, property rights, inheritance, and child custody.
The Times reported that the bill put forward in the state of Uttarakhand, which is controlled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, would change that, forcing all Indians including Muslims to abide by a unified law.
The new law reverses legislation on custody rights, which currently allows Muslim women to have custody of a child after divorce until he or she reaches the age of seven only.
India is deeply divided over the subject of a unified civil law. Many Indians welcome the idea of providing equal rights for women that may not be enshrined in some religions.
However, Muslim organizations have opposed the law in the past, arguing that it effectively violates their right to practice their religion recognized by the Indian Constitution.
Muslim organizations are expected to go to court on the issue, and critics of the government who accuse it of consistently co-opting Indians over contentious issues will support them. If passed, Uttarakhand would be the first state in India to enact it.
Source: Times