On the fateful day of November 23rd, 1948, the Constituent Assembly of India bore witness to a rather animated debate. The draft Article 35, (now 44) on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was placed before the Assembly for a discussion followed by a final vote. Building upon the argument of a secular state, M Muhammad Ismail, a Muslim League Member from Madras, argued that no step should be taken which, in effect, interferes with the religion of the people and the personal laws adhered to by...