Former Bombay High Court judge RC Chavan has resigned from a Maharashtra government-appointed committee tasked with preparing a draft framework for implementing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the State, citing differences over the panel’s functioning and the involvement of an official from outside Maharashtra.
Justice Chavan resigned from the seven-member committee on September 19, according to his resignation letter.
The committee, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Desai, was constituted by the Maharashtra government in July to prepare a draft for a common civil code in the State.
In his resignation letter, Justice Chavan raised concerns over the manner in which the committee’s meetings were conducted, alleging that several matters were disposed of without substantive discussion.
He said agenda items such as confirmation of minutes, modifications to the committee’s website and finalisation of questionnaires were taken up and concluded quickly on the directions of the chairperson.
Justice Chavan also said suggestions by members on framing a questionnaire to elicit detailed public views on issues including late marriages, infertility, marital instability and dispute resolution were not considered, as a questionnaire finalised by the chairperson had already been circulated for uploading.
He also questioned the involvement of an official from outside Maharashtra in the committee’s functioning.
“Maharashtra officers may feel they are not competent to do this duty that an officer from another State had to be called,” he said.
Justice Chavan said he was resigning to enable the government to fill the vacancy promptly.
He described his association with the committee as a learning experience and wished the panel well.
(With inputs from PTI)