The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) claimed that government schools in some districts of Gujarat were circulating a “consent form” to pressure minority students into supporting the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). In response, the Gujarat UCC Committee on Monday directed the Deputy Secretary of the State Legal Department to take further action and investigate the MCC’s complaint.
The letter of the UCC panel, dated April 7, states, “On Sunday, April 6, we received a formal complaint from Waqar Yunus Patel (MCC member) on email, seeking investigation into the UCC form being distributed to school students. It is requested to consider the facts in the case and initiate further action in the matter.”
The letter is signed by Sheetal Goswami, Secretary of the Gujarat UCC Committee, led by Retired Justice Ranjana Desai.
The MCC, Gujarat’s official minority committee, filed a formal complaint on Sunday, a day after its members informed Retired Justice Desai about the alleged distribution of a “consent form” based on the feedback form from the Gujarat UCC website.
On Saturday, members of MCC had said that the “unattributed document” was found in several government primary schools in Vadodara city, including Akota and Tandalja areas. The development had occurred three days after several government-run schools in Naswadi taluka of Chhota Udepur district were alleged to have “coerced students to file consent” to UCC.
Lodging a complaint with the Gujarat UCC Committee Chairperson, MCC member Sagirahamed Ansari stated, “I wish to bring to your urgent attention that several government-run schools are reportedly coercing students, in place of their parents, to sign documents supporting the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). This practice is not only unethical and misleading, but it also violates the rights of both the students and their families… Such actions undermine the principles of informed consent and democratic process. I urge you to take immediate steps to investigate this matter and ensure accountability of those responsible.”
Ansari also lodged a complaint with the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office, stating, “Such actions undermine the integrity of our educational institutions and exploit minors for political gain. I request your immediate intervention to investigate this matter thoroughly, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure that schools remain spaces of learning not propaganda.”
According to media report , “Volunteers of the minority committee learnt about the form being given to students of the Akota primary school on Saturday. Similar instances have occurred in other government-run schools in the state, where children are being made to sign the form… This is illegal as the children are not only minors but also unaware. The form appears to be based on the Gujarat UCC website but we are not aware where it has originated from. We filed a formal complaint on Sunday.”
A district official of Chhota Udepur said that the matter that came to light in the tribal area of Naswadi was “being looked into” as teachers of the schools in the region had claimed that the form had been sent by the Cluster Resource Centres (which comes under the education department). An official of the education department said, “The teachers have received the general UCC consent forms from the Cluster Resource Centre to fill up responses of individuals… We are still looking into the complaint.”
Retired Senior IAS officer CL Meena, a member of Gujarat UCC Committee, said that on Saturday that the panel had made a “general appeal” to persons who had attained the age of 18 years, to submit their “opinions”, adding no such exercise had been advised for schools.
“We will look into the matter. We have made general appeals in public seeking voluntary opinions of persons, who have attained 18 years of age. If there is substance in the complaint that school children under 18 are being made to consent to UCC forms, we will give directions to the District Collectors accordingly,” he said further .
What is in the document?
The controversial document, written in Gujarati, is titled “A Questionnaire on Uniform Civil Code – Gujarat”. It is based on the feedback form available on the Gujarat UCC website. The printed version, reportedly circulated in some schools, contains the same 13 questions and a suggestion box. It also asks for personal details such as name, mobile number, name of the institution, designation, and signature.
One of the questions seeks opinions on issues like marriage, divorce, maintenance, live-in relationships, and family laws. It includes views on ending gender-based differences in religious laws, making divorce registration mandatory, ensuring UCC does not violate constitutional rights, and including rights of women in live-in relationships, along with inheritance and maintenance rights for children born from such relationships.