Maharashtra UCC Panel: Ex-Bombay High Court judge quits

MUMBAI: Maharashtra government's move to prepare a uniform civil code (UCC) for the state has become contentious even before the draft is ready, with a former Bombay High Court judge resigning from the government-appointed committee tasked with preparing the framework for implementing the code.

Former judge RC Chavan tendered his resignation from the seven-member committee, citing differences over the panel's public consultation process and objecting to the involvement of an official from outside the state.

In his resignation letter submitted on September 19, he said questionnaires seeking public views on issues concerning late marriages, marital discord, infertility and dispute resolution had already been finalised by the chairperson, retired SC judge Ranjana Desai.


He noted that, besides him, two other members had sought to put forward their views on the questionnaires being drafted. However, the chairperson had already finalised the document. The former judge wrote, "It was my misunderstanding that our exercise was aimed at gathering views of people of Maharashtra and to generate a consensus..." According to him, the exercise appeared to be aimed just at gathering "yes or no" responses.