Internal friction within the seven-member high-level committee formed to draft the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Maharashtra has burst into public view following the sudden resignation of former Bombay High Court judge Justice R. C. Chavan. The controversy erupted directly over the informal participation of retired IAS officer Shatrughan Singh during a critical strategy session. Just 48 hours after Justice Chavan stepped down in protest, the Maharashtra government moved swiftly to formalize Singh's role, designating him as a member-cum-senior advisor to the panel.
Objections Raised Over Unofficial Participation in Closed-Door Meeting
The confrontation originated during the committee's second formal meeting held on September 19. Prior to the gathering, the circulated agenda and official email correspondence sent to members contained no intimation regarding the attendance of any external expert or advisor. However, Shatrughan Singh appeared at the meeting, where he was formally introduced to the members and invited to present inputs and procedural directions. Justice Chavan objected strenuously to the presence and role of an unnotified individual in official proceedings.
In his resignation letter, Justice Chavan questioned the capacity in which Singh attended and offered directions when he was not an officially designated member of the seven-person panel. The committee chairperson, former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Desai, had invited Singh to participate as an advisor. Nevertheless, Justice Chavan took a strict procedural stance, viewing the intervention of a third party without any gazetted or formal standing as completely improper and contrary to governance norms, leading him to submit his resignation mere hours after the session concluded.
Government Response and Formal Indication of Authority
The sudden resignation of a senior judicial figure pushed the state administration into swift damage control to resolve the procedural anomaly. On September 21, two days after the contentious meeting and subsequent exit, the Maharashtra government issued orders formally naming Shatrughan Singh as a member-cum-senior advisor to the drafting body. This administrative move effectively granted official sanction to his advisory position. Following the appointment, both committee chairperson Justice Ranjana Desai and Shatrughan Singh declined to comment on the controversy or the objections surrounding the appointment.
Deliberations Over Public Questionnaire and Portal Accessibility
The September 19 meeting had centered around formulating a comprehensive public questionnaire designed to solicit feedback and gauge citizen sentiment across Maharashtra regarding the proposed UCC. Deliberations revealed distinct perspectives on how the questions should be framed. Justice Chavan recommended adopting a format dominated by subjective inquiries, arguing that descriptive questions would provide respondents the room to deliver nuanced opinions and detailed written feedback on delicate personal laws.
However, the committee ultimately opted for a hybrid methodology that incorporates both objective questions and subjective feedback points. Approximately three dozen questions are expected to feature in the final document, which will soon be released for broad public consultation. During the discussion, Singh raised concerns regarding the official website currently being developed for public feedback. He highlighted the necessity of refining the introductory explanatory text to help Maharashtra residents clearly comprehend UCC provisions, while urging that the questionnaire interface be organized so that ordinary citizens can access and navigate it effortlessly.
