Justice R. C. Chavan quits Maharashtra UCC panel, flags process concerns

Former Justice R. C. Chavan has stepped down from the Maharashtra government's committee tasked with preparing a draft for implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the State, citing concerns over how the panel has been functioning.

The seven-member committee, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Desai, was constituted by the State government in July to frame a blueprint for rolling out the common civil code. Justice Chavan, a former high court judge, submitted his resignation on September 19.

In his resignation letter, he contended that meetings were being wrapped up without meaningful deliberation. Items such as confirmation of minutes, changes to the panel's website and finalisation of questionnaires, he said, were cleared swiftly on the directions of the chairperson.

He further stated that suggestions from members — including on how the questionnaire should be framed to draw detailed public responses on subjects such as late marriages, infertility, unstable marriages and dispute resolution — were not taken on board, since a questionnaire finalised by the chairperson had already been circulated for uploading.

Justice Chavan also raised the involvement of an officer from outside Maharashtra in the committee's work. He observed that State officers might feel they are not considered competent for a duty that required an officer from another State to be brought in, and added that it was possible the officer's place in the panel's functioning had not been thought through.

Describing his decision as a way to resolve the situation, he said he was vacating his seat so that the government could fill the vacancy promptly. He called his time on the committee a learning experience and extended his good wishes to the panel.