The chairman of the 22nd Law Commission, Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi (retd), who is drafting the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), "reassured” the trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) that they were "being very mindful” of the community’s need "to protect (their) ethnocentric religious existence,” noted a communiqué issued by the trustees of the BPP following their 90-minute meeting on August 21, 2023 with the Commission in New Delhi. The Commission will proceed to draft the UCC bill keeping in mind the consultative meetings they held with various community heads.
In a background note issued to Parsiana on September 7 the trustees stated they emphasized to the Law Commission their reasons for seeking exemption from the provisions of the UCC. "Our coming to India was for the purpose of protecting our ethnicity and our religion. We have therefore but to protect our small community, its ethnocentric existence and insulate it in every which way we can. That is the numero uno task before us as a board at hand.” The trustees stated that "whilst fleeing from Persia under Islamic persecution, it would be a folly to believe that only one set of Zoroastrians found the sea route and migrated to India. As one understands, several small groups of Zoroastrians escaped and landed in different countries. Unfortunately, being microscopic in numbers, they intermingled, lost their identity and thus submerged with the larger polity in those countries as they could not protect their ethnocentric identity.”
Bombay Parsi Punchayet trustees and their supporters with
Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi (retd) (seated in black waistcoat) and
other members of the Law Commission
Commending India’s religious tolerance, the BPP trustees stated that India gave Parsis the freedom and independence to retain their ethnocentric identity. "Thus we have survived and progressed for over 1,300 years in India, unlike anywhere else, retaining our unique ethnic, cultural and religious identity…This freedom we wish to fiercely guard and protect.
"Of course, there are a few voices of dissent having their point of view” about applicability, they stated. "But, at this stage, protecting our small community by seeking placement of a protective shield of exemption around it, we see that as the most important need of the hour. Our collective representation to the Law Commission is based on this logic and we have accordingly briefed our community in a synoptic message released earlier.”
The apex trust’s communication to all community members dated August 22 was signed by all trustees. Also present were advocate Zerick Dastur and activist and The Parsee Voice co-editor Hanoz Mistry. Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal and Ervad (Dr) Parvez Bajan joined on video.
At the meeting, Zerick reiterated the views the BPP had shared with the Law Commission in an earlier representation of July 12, seeking exemption from uniformity on the basis of "inseparable integration of the community’s social life from our religion and our unique beliefs and traditions; the over 1,300 years of historical perspective and our reasons for migration to India to protect our religion; the incomparable contributions made by Parsis in every aspect of Indian life; the acknowledgements and protections given by successive governments to retain the unique Parsi/Irani Zoroastrian identity; the special legal carve-outs provided to Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians through special legislations.” The team also noted that they were sharing their apprehensions in the absence of an actual draft of the UCC.