Why Justice RC Chavan quits Maharashtra UCC Panel?
In a major embarrassment for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and right-wing Hindu groups, Retired Bombay High Court Judge, Justice R.C. Chavan, has quit the Maharashtra UCC Committee, raising serious questions over its functioning.
Mumbai: In a major embarrassment for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and right-wing Hindu groups, Retired Bombay High Court Judge, Justice R.C. Chavan, has quit the Maharashtra UCC Committee, raising serious questions over its functioning.
The BJP-led Maharashtra government had formed the committee to prepare a draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) which it wants to impose in the state.
The committee had a total of 7 members and is headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Desai. Justice Ranjana Desai had earlier headed a similar panel in Uttarakhand.
Justice Chavan was one of the members of the committee. He, however, quit the panel on September 19, 2026 – hours after its second meeting held online.
In his resignation letter sent to the Maharashtra government via email, Justice Chavan explained why he resigned from the panel, according to The Indian Express.
“Three members tried to articulate their views, such as respondents being required to answer only in yes or no, or the need to have the questionnaire quickly examined professionally by professors under the supervision of member Dr Suvarna Rawal. The honourable chairperson had already circulated the questionnaire finalised by her and stated that it would be uploaded once the website was ready. Thus, the third and the last item on the agenda of today’s meeting was over. Therefore, to save time and internet, I logged out”, Justice Chavan said.
Justice Chavan in his letter also questioned the presence of a "non-member" in the meeting who was "dictating terms".
"A Fixed Match"
The Congress party used Justice Chavan’s resignation from the Maharashtra UCC Committee to ramp up criticism of the BJP governments in the state as well as in Delhi.
“Former Justice R.C. Chavan has basically said that the committee is a fixed match - an eyewash”, Congress spokesperson and MP Pawan Khera said in a social media post.
Khera also said that the formation of the committee is a mere formality, and the government expects the committee members to act as a “rubber stamp”.
“The suggestions made by the committee members are simply ignored. The BJP government has already decided what it wants to do and expects the committee to rubber-stamp it… Need I say this is how every committee under the BJP functions?” Khera asked.
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