While the debate on the Uniform Civil Code has once again been centred around whether religious minorities can continue following their respective personal laws, any framework for the UCC — which is to govern aspects of marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance — is bound to run into conflict with the customary laws and practices of a varied number of tribal communities as well.
Even as Islamic bodies, which have codified personal law, have opposed the proposal to bring in the UCC, tribal bodies in states like Jharkhand, Meghalaya and Nagaland have taken a similar position, insisting that it would infringe upon their customary laws of marriage, divorce, inheritance, and transfer of land.
