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Mumbai MLAs Seek Minority Seat On Maharashtra UCC Panel
Maharashtra has a committee working on a possible Uniform Civil Code, or UCC.
A UCC would create common rules for some personal-law matters.
Justice R C Chavan left the committee after disagreeing with how it was working.
He was especially concerned about the public questionnaire and how meetings were conducted.
Some Mumbai MLAs want a person from a minority community to replace him.
They say this would help affected communities share their concerns.
One MLA also said he opposes the UCC because people in India follow many different customs.
Justice Chavan has said the discussion is necessary and that people should have the freedom to decide.
Justice R C Chavan resigned from Maharashtra’s UCC committee on September 19, citing concerns about its functioning and consultation process.
Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to appoint a minority-community representative to the vacancy.
MLA Amin Patel said affected communities should have representation because India has diverse religious and cultural customs.
Shaikh alleged the proposed UCC could affect minority and tribal communities and was being pursued for electoral reasons.
The committee, chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Desai, was formed in July to prepare Maharashtra’s UCC framework.
- Who
- Mumbai MLAs Rais Shaikh and Amin Patel, Justice R C Chavan, and the Maharashtra UCC committee headed by Justice Ranjana Desai.
- What
- MLAs have sought the appointment of a minority-community representative after Justice R C Chavan resigned from the committee.
- Where
- Maharashtra, with the demand raised by Mumbai legislators.
- When
- The committee was formed in July; Justice Chavan resigned on September 19, and the demand followed days later.
- Why
- The MLAs say minority representation would improve the committee’s credibility and help identify how a UCC could affect different communities.
UCC Critics And Minority Representatives
UCC Committee Supporters
Minority representation
UCC Critics And Minority Representatives
Rais Shaikh and Amin Patel argue that an affected minority-community member should be added to the panel to raise community concerns and improve its credibility.
UCC Committee Supporters
The reported committee structure is chaired by Justice Ranjana Desai and includes government-appointed members; the article does not state that the government has agreed to add a minority representative.
Need for a Uniform Civil Code
UCC Critics And Minority Representatives
Amin Patel opposes the UCC, saying India’s religious, cultural, sectarian and caste diversity means communities follow different social customs.
UCC Committee Supporters
Justice R C Chavan has said the UCC exercise is necessary and that people should have autonomy in deciding the issue.
Consultation process
UCC Critics And Minority Representatives
Justice Chavan questioned the use of a questionnaire and said he understood the process to involve gathering views across Maharashtra and building consensus on complex social issues.
UCC Committee Supporters
The committee was established to prepare a framework and seek public feedback, although the article reports Chavan’s concerns about how that process was being conducted.
Key facts
- Committee purpose
- To prepare a framework for implementing a Uniform Civil Code in Maharashtra.
- Committee chair
- Retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Desai.
- Committee formation
- Established by the Maharashtra government in July.
- Resignation date
- Justice R C Chavan resigned on September 19.
- Stated resignation concerns
- Committee functioning, the public feedback process, and participation by a non-member in a meeting.
- Replacement demand
- Rais Shaikh called for a minority-community representative, specifically mentioning a Muslim member.
- UCC criticism
- Amin Patel opposed the UCC, citing India’s religious and cultural diversity.
Quotes
Rais Shaikh
Samajwadi Party MLA who wrote to Maharashtra’s chief minister seeking minority representation on the UCC committee.
“First of all, we oppose the UCC because India is religiously and culturally diverse, with different sects and castes, even in the same religion, following different social customs. Even if a committee is created to discuss the issue, a member of the affected community is needed in the panel to flag problems in the law.”
freepressjournal.in
“There is currently no representative from the minority community on the committee. As a result, the committee is being viewed with suspicion, and following Justice Chavan’s resignation, its credibility has been further undermined.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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