West Bengal's Bold Move Toward Uniform Civil Code Across India

West Bengal is paving the way for implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) nationwide. A nine-member expert committee has been formed to draft the legislation, with plans to introduce it during the August Assembly. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has acted against TMC's bank accounts amid allegations of financial misconduct.

In a significant development, West Bengal minister Arjun Singh announced that the state is preparing to roll out a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), set to be implemented nationwide. The state government has constituted a nine-member expert committee, led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, to draft the legislation. Singh confirmed, 'UCC will be implemented not only in Bengal but across the entire country.'

This move follows Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's earlier proclamation in the Assembly that the draft UCC would be introduced in the upcoming August session. The committee, featuring former judges, legal experts, bureaucrats, and social sector representatives, will examine the draft law and submit recommendations. Notably, indigenous communities will be exempted from the proposed legislation.

Concurrently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen Rs 440.42 crore in three HDFC Bank accounts of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) amid investigations into alleged financial mismanagement. Minister Singh remarked that foreign accounts linked to Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee would be repatriated. The TMC has refuted any misconduct, labeling the ED's actions as politically charged.