882 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
as Muslims, Parsis, Jews, Christians and so on. That is to say, it should itself be regarded as a Civil Code, and the third suggestion is that the application of the Code should be voluntary. It should be a matter of choice either for any particular citizen or any particular member of the Hindu society to go before a magistrate and to register his will that he would like to be governed by this particular Code. In no other circumstances should this Code be made applicable in this country. And I believe there is one suggestion—I forget now the author of that suggestion—that this Bill should not come into operation except on a referendum to be taken after the elections or something like that.
Pandit M. B. Bhargava : That comes up later.
Dr. Ambedkar : Somebody said that, I cannot recall who.
Shri J. R. Kapoor : He intends to say so later on.
Dr. Ambedkar : Yes.
Now, I must say that I am very very much surprised to see some of those who until yesterday were the greatest opponents of this Code and the greatest champions of the archaic Hindu Law as it exists to day should come forward and say that they are now prepared for an All-India Civil Code. There is a proverb that a leopard does not change its spots and I cannot believe that those leopards which have been pouncing upon this Bill every time I came before this House have now suddenly so reformed their mentality as to become revolutionary enough to accept a new Code altogether. If they want a Civil Code, do they think that it will take very long to have a Civil Code ? Probably the underlying motive why they have made this suggestion is this. As it has taken four or five years to draft the Hindu Code they will probably take ten years to draft a Civil Code. I would like to tell them that the Civil Code is there. If they want it it can be placed before the House within two days. If they are ready and willing to swallow it, we can pass it in this House in half an hour.
What is the Civil Code ?—let me ask. The Indian Succession Act is a Civil Code. Unfortunately it does not apply to Hindus. I do not know if there is any person with the greatest amount of legal ingenuity who can devise a better Civil Code than the Indian Succession Act. All that would be necessary to make the Indian Succession Act universal and civil, that is to say, applicable to all citizens, would be to add a clause that the words contained in clause 2 of the Act, namely that it shall not apply to Hindus, be deleted and then you