NEW DELHI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday announced the formation of a seven-member panel, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Desai, to draft legislation for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC).The committee comprises former high court judges R C Chavan and S G Mehare, former Maharashtra chief secretary D K Jain, former advocate general Virendra Saraf, constitutional expert Ramesh Patange and educationist Suvarna Rawal, Fadnavis told the legislative assembly.He said the committee is expected to submit its report within six months. “We will make efforts to introduce the legislation in the winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur,” he said.Referring to the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution, Fadnavis said, “Accordingly, a seven-member committee has been constituted under the chairpersonship of Justice (Retd.) Ranjana Desai to prepare a framework for implementing a Uniform Civil Code.”Before Maharashtra, Assam and Gujarat had also begun drafting legislation for a Uniform Civil Code, while Uttarakhand became the first state after Independence to enact one. Maharashtra is expected to closely study Uttarakhand’s experience while preparing its own draft.Earlier, Fadnavis reiterated the government’s commitment to introducing the law and said the concept of a Uniform Civil Code finds support in the Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in the Constitution.Referring to the vision of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, he argued that a common civil framework would uphold the constitutional values of equality and uniformity in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption.Reacting to the development, senior Congress leader Sachin Sawant said, “The Directive Principles of State Policy, which include the provision relating to a Uniform Civil Code, were actually a contribution of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru ji to the Constitution.” He added that Fadnavis could also have acknowledged Nehru’s contribution while referring to the constitutional origins of the UCC debate.Sawant further said the constitutional provision envisaged a consensus-based approach and stressed the need for extensive consultations before drafting such legislation.Meanwhile, welcoming the government’s move, Manisha Kayande said support for a Uniform Civil Code has long been an ideological position of the Shiv Sena. She said the late Bal Thackeray aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party on three key issues — construction of the Ram Temple, the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, and the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code.Kayande said the Shiv Sena has consistently backed the idea of a common civil law for all citizens, irrespective of religion, and welcomed the chief minister’s announcement. She expressed hope that Maharashtra would move swiftly towards implementing the Uniform Civil Code and emerge as one of the leading states pursuing the reform.
