A uniform civil code is being followed in Goa and there has not been any communal tension, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said and suggested that his state can be a model for those seeking to implement such a legislation.
Sawant was referring to the Goa Civil Code, under which all communities, including Hindus, Muslims and Christians, in the state are governed by the same law when it comes to marriage, divorce, succession, among others.
This code is derived from the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867, which was applicable during the Portuguese rule in the state.BJP-ruled states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have proposed to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as it is an ideological commitment of the party.
“Since the liberation of Goa, the Uniform Civil Code is being followed in the state…There has not been any communal tension or any other issues due to the UCC in the state. About one-third of Goa’s population belong to minority communities which include 27 per cent Christians and five to six per cent Muslims, and there have not been any complaints or problems,” Sawant told PTI in an interview.