Retired IAS officer Shatrughna Singh joins Maharashtra UCC panel
Shatrughna Singh, a retired Uttarakhand-cadre IAS officer, has been appointed to Maharashtra's Uniform Civil Code committee after its chairperson proposed his inclusion.
The Maharashtra government has appointed retired IAS officer Shatrughna Singh as a member of the committee drafting a framework for the Uniform Civil Code in the State. The proposal to induct him was moved by the panel's chairperson, retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai, and received the government's approval early this week.
A senior government official said Ms. Desai had sent the proposal several days earlier, citing Mr. Singh's prior work with her on consultations connected to the Uniform Civil Code. His familiarity with the panel's functioning, gained from that experience, was the reason she sought his inclusion, the official added.
The official also said the appointment had no link to the recent resignation of retired Bombay High Court judge R.C. Chavan, who stepped down citing serious reservations about how the panel was functioning and criticising its methodology, including what he described as consensus-building that underplayed complex issues. The two developments are separate, the official said, adding that there is no statutory requirement for the panel to have exactly seven members and that it may have more or fewer.
The committee was constituted two months ago to prepare a framework for implementing the Uniform Civil Code. Its members include retired High Court judge S.G. Mehare, former Maharashtra chief secretary D.K. Jain, former advocate general Virendra Saraf, constitutional expert Ramesh Patange and educationist Suvarna Rawal.
The panel has been tasked with examining the legal, social, cultural and administrative dimensions of the Uniform Civil Code and submitting a report within six months. It will also undertake a comparative study of the experiences of States that have already implemented the code.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the State government intends to table the legislation during the winter session this year. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking in Mumbai this month, said the Uniform Civil Code would be introduced in 21 States before 2029, the year of the next Lok Sabha elections.