Uniform Civil Code Not Linked To Elections: Uttarakhand Chief Minister

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday rejected Opposition allegations that the BJP uses the issue of a uniform civil code as a tool to polarise voters ahead of elections, asserting that his state will implement it soon.

He also said Uttarakhand will ensure that incidents such as the recent case involving the alleged rape and murder of a young woman do not occur again, saying "Dev Bhoomi" has no place for such people who indulge in such crimes.

Speaking at the HT Leadership Summit, he said a five-member committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, is working fast on a draft which will be ready soon.

"We will implement it soon," he said.

He said the implementation of a common code was not limited to state polls. "After the polls, we worked on what we had said," he observed.

Referring to Article 44 of the Constitution and certain Supreme Court observations, he said the higher judiciary is of the view that states should implement it.

Responding to a question on the alleged rape and murder of a woman working at an Uttarakhad resort, the chief minister said it is natural that people were agitated but all the accused have been held.

He said his government will ensure that such incidents are not repeated. Dhami also rejected suggestions that the use of a bulldozer to bring down the structure resulted in loss of valuable evidence.

He said the evidence was preserved and videographed before the structure was razed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)