Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Modi pushes for common civil code on India's Independence Day

Modi pushes for common civil code on India's Independence Day

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi announced on Thursday, India's 78th Independence Day, his intention to advance a national common civil code of law, a move strongly opposed by Muslim activists who view it as an attack on their faith.

While India’s 1.4 billion people are governed by a common criminal law, personal matters such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance are governed by different laws depending on religious communities.


The proposed civil code aims to standardise laws across all religious groups. However, it has faced significant opposition from Muslim activists and liberals, who see it as an assault on the country's largest religious minority.

In his 11th consecutive annual Independence Day address, Modi said that the existence of different laws creates division within the nation.

“Those laws that divide the country on the basis of religion, that become reason for inequality, should have no place in a modern society,” Modi said.

“That is why I say: the times demand that there is a secular civil code in the country.”

In the 98-minute speech, his longest Independence Day address, Modi asserted that it is India's golden era and a 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) by 2047 awaits the nation. The Prime Minister reiterated his push for ridding Indian politics of casteism and nepotism.

Modi, who secured a third successive term in June but had to form a coalition government after his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), lost its outright majority, referred to the current civil code as a “communal civil code, a code of discrimination.”

He urged for a public debate on the issue, saying, “Everyone should come out with their opinion,” as he addressed students, soldiers, and foreign dignitaries at New Delhi's Red Fort during the annual Independence Day ceremony.

Modi also called for swift justice following the recent rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor in Kolkata, an incident that has led to widespread protests and a strike by fellow doctors.

“Crimes against women should be quickly investigated; monstrous behaviour against women should be severely and quickly punished,” he said.

Additionally, Modi expressed concern over the situation in Bangladesh following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, urging for calm and the restoration of normalcy, particularly in light of attacks on the Hindu minority.

“Whatever happens in Bangladesh is a matter of concern. I hope that the situation there will become normal soon,” Modi said, emphasising India’s role as a well-wisher of Bangladesh’s development.

(With inputs from AFP)

More For You

Rochdale grooming case

They were all remanded in custody, except Bashir, who absconded before the trial began. (Photo: Greater Manchester Police)

Seven men convicted of raping 13-year-old girls in Rochdale grooming case

SEVEN men were convicted on Friday in the UK’s latest grooming trial, after a jury heard that two girl victims were forced to have sex “with multiple men on the same day, in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses”.

Jurors at the court in Manchester, northwest England, deliberated for three weeks before finding the seven men, all of whom are of South Asian descent, guilty of rape.

Keep ReadingShow less
karan-thakar

Karun Thakar is a leading textile collector with a lifelong focus on Asian and African textiles

Karun Collection

Karun Thakar Fund to support textile research with scholarships and grants

THE KARUN THAKAR FUND, established by textile collector Karun Thakar in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), supports the study of Asian and African textiles and dress through scholarships and project grants.

The fund offers one-time Scholarship Awards of up to £10,000 for university students worldwide focusing on any aspect of Asian or African textiles and dress. Undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students from any accredited university are eligible, provided their research or practice is clearly linked to these areas. The next round of Scholarship Award applications opens on 1 May 2025 and closes at 23:59 on July 15, 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian leaders recognised in King's birthday honours list

Professor Jagtar Singh (Photo: Facebook)

Asian leaders recognised in King's birthday honours list

ASIAN health workers, academics, charity workers and campaigners are among those who have been recognised in the King’s birthday honours list announced tonight (13).

More than a thousand recipients have been awarded for their exceptional achievements, with a particular focus on those who have given their time to public service, according to the Cabinet Office.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India

A view shows the wreckage of the tail section of an Air India aircraft, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from airport in Ahmedabad. (Photo: Reuters)

Air India crash: Probe focuses on engine and flaps; safety checks ordered for 787 fleet

THE INVESTIGATION into the Air India crash that killed more than 240 people is focusing on the aircraft's engine, flaps, and landing gear.

The Indian aviation regulator has ordered safety checks on the airline’s entire Boeing 787 fleet, reported Reuters.

Keep ReadingShow less