The Andhra Pradesh State Minorities Commission on Saturday constituted a panel to consult experts and Muslim religious heads to elicit their views on the proposed Uniform Civil Code.
Addressing a press conference, Commission chairman Abid Rasool Khan claimed that Union Law Minister D V Sadanand Goud had initiated a debate on the introduction of a Uniform Civil Code in the country. Therefore, in view of this reported move, the panel would elicit the views of different sections of the society to prepare a report wherein it would suggest that the Muslim Personal Law not be interfered with in case of the introduction of a Uniform Civil Code.
The Minorities Commission has also constituted three other panels to study crimes against minorities, women and children.
Abid Rasool Khan also suggested that the Centre constitute a judicial commission for minorities, women and children, and that fast track courts be set up for the trials in those cases.
He said that all the panels would prepare their reports within 15 days, and the same would be submitted to the governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh within 30 days.
Abid Rasool Khan also proposed that the State Minorities Finance Commission provide interest-free short-term, and even daily, loans to small vendors and other petty traders to eradicate the evil of illegal financiers from the society.
He also informed that in the last 15 months, the Commission had received complaints related to 14 cases of rape, four murders, 28 dowry harassment cases and nearly 50 other cases of a serious nature which were taken up suo moto.
He said that in at least 10 rape cases the victims were minors while the culprits were neigbours who had later tried to intimidate them to withdraw the complaints. (INN)