DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 23
Mr. Naziruddin Ahmad : It was not kept in the Library for a very long time. It has been placed in the Library very recently. I had to buy it from the market. It is only recently that some copies were kept in the Liberary.
Prof. N. G. Ranga (Madras : General): What is it?
Mr. Naziruddin Ahmad : When an Honourable Member like Professor Ranga asks ‘what is this?’ it only shows. . .
Prof. N. G. Ranga : I asked what is it you are referring to.
Mr. Naziruddin Ahmad: The Report of the Hindu Law Committee.
Prof. N. G. Ranga: That is, the Rao Committee. Its Report has been before the public for a year.
Mr. Speaker: Whatever it be, the Honourable Member may proceed.
Mr. Naziruddin Ahmad: The Report has been published only recently. I submit that in this Report there is a dissentient minute of the late Justice D. N. Mitter. He has collected a large number of opinions against the Bill. I do not wish to read them. He has classified them province by province and subject by subject. There is no time to deal with them, but he has said that the principles of the Bill are opposed by the entire Hindu community, that is the orthodox section of the community.
I have studied as carefully as it was possible for me within the short time available, the recent opinions on the Bill obtained by the Government and circulated to us. I find there is a volume of opinion against the Bill. In fact, at the time when the Committee was hearing evidence the evidence in Bengal was also all one way. Now in the opinions circulated I find the opinion in West Bengal is all one way. It is clearly against the Bill. What is remarkable is that there is an opinion by the Secretary of the Government of Bengal in the Ministry of Law. That opinion is to be found in paper No. 4, opinion No. 17. That opinion is against the Bill. It says that this is not a proper time to take the Bill. ( An Honourable Member : ‘When was that ’?) It bears no date. It has been circulated only recently—five or six days ago. In fact it says that the Bill is of far-reaching importance and enough consideration has not been given to the opinions expressed. The House will be pleased to consider the different categories of