What is Article 44 of Indian constitution| Article 44 of the Indian Constitution is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP). It talks about the idea of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for all citizens of India.

 

What is Article 44 of Indian constitution

Article 44 of the Indian Constitution is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP). It talks about the idea of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for all citizens of India.

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📜 Text of Article 44 (Simplified)

“The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India.”

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✅ What is a Uniform Civil Code (UCC)?

A Uniform Civil Code means one common set of civil laws for all Indians, regardless of their religion, caste, or community, especially in matters like:

• Marriage

• Divorce

• Inheritance

• Adoption

• Property rights

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🎯 Purpose of Article 44

• To ensure equality before law for everyone.

• To promote national unity by applying the same civil laws to all citizens.

• To reduce discrimination, especially gender-based inequalities in personal laws.

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🧾 Current Situation

India currently follows different personal laws based on religion:

Community	Law Applies To
Hindus	Hindu Marriage Act, Hindu Succession Act, etc.
Muslims	Muslim Personal Law (Shariat)
Christians	Indian Christian Marriage Act, Divorce Act
Parsis	Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act

So, different communities follow different rules for family-related matters.

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🧠 Example:

• A Hindu woman has different inheritance rights compared to a Muslim woman.

• Article 44 aims to replace these multiple systems with one civil law for all.

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⚖️ Supreme Court’s View:

The Supreme Court has repeatedly supported implementing a Uniform Civil Code to ensure equality and secularism. Important cases:

• Shah Bano Case (1985)

• Sarla Mudgal Case (1995)

• Jose Paulo Coutinho Case (2019)

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📌 Summary of Article 44

Feature	Description
Type of law	Directive Principle (not enforceable in court)
What it proposes	One common civil law for all citizens
Focus area	Marriage, divorce, inheritance, property, etc.
Current status	Not yet implemented nationwide (except in Goa, partially)
Goal	Ensure equality, secularism, and national unity

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