The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India refers to the proposal to replace diverse personal laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, guardianship and related family matters with a common set of civil laws applicable to all citizens, irrespective of religion. The idea is closely connected with questions of gender and power because personal laws have historically shaped the rights, duties and social position of women within families and communities. The debate over the UCC therefore concerns not only legal uniformity but also equality, religious freedom, community identity and the distribution of power between men and women. India currently follows a plural legal system in matters of personal law. Different religious communities have historically been governed by different rules concerning family and personal matters. Hindu personal law has undergone substantial statutory reform through laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, and subsequent amendments. Muslim personal law continues to operate through a combination of legislation, judicial decisions and uncodified principles. Christians and Parsis also have specific statutory frameworks relating to marriage, divorce and succession. Tribal and customary practices create further diversity. This legal pluralism reflects India's multicultural character but has also generated debates about unequal rights, particularly for women. From a gender perspective, the central argument in favour of the UCC is that a common civil law could establish equal legal rights for women across religious communities. Personal laws have sometimes contained provisions or practices that have been criticised for giving men greater authority in marriage, divorce, inheritance and family decision-making. Historically, women's access to property, maintenance, guardianship and marital rights has frequently depended upon the community to which they belong. Such differences can reinforce patriarchal power within the family and make women's rights dependent on religious or customary structures. The issue of inheritance illustrates the relationship between gender and economic power. Property ownership is a major source of independence and bargaining power within households. Where women receive smaller shares of family property or encounter barriers in exercising inheritance rights, their economic dependence on male relatives increases. Reforms within Hindu succession law, particularly the recognition of daughters as coparceners in ancestral property, have strengthened women's property rights. A gender-sensitive common civil framework could potentially extend comparable principles of equality to all citizens and reduce disparities based on religious identity. Marriage and divorce are another important area. Marriage is not merely a private relationship; it can determine women's economic security, social status and access to children and property. Unequal divorce provisions or differences in maintenance rights can place women in vulnerable situations, especially when they lack independent income. The Supreme Court's interventions in cases involving maintenance, instant triple talaq and women's rights demonstrate how constitutional principles of equality and dignity can challenge patriarchal practices. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, which criminalised the pronouncement of instant triple talaq, followed the Supreme Court's 2017 decision in Shayara Bano v. Union of India. The case became an