Mumbai: The 7-member drafting committee for Maharashtra’s Uniform Civil Code (UCC), set up in July, lost a member at its second online meeting as former Bombay high court judge R C Chavan resigned last week. He was critical of the panel framing a public feedback questionnaire by rendering complex social issues, including on marital matters, into binary ‘yes/no’ answers.
On Tuesday, Justice Chavan, 74, who was elevated as judge of HC in 2005, told TOI, “My views are immaterial, what youth wants, what people of Maharashtra want is material.
I agree with youngsters that UCC can be built around 10 principles gathered from chats with them, without trampling on minority rights.’’ The former judge, considered by his peers to be principled and with extensive and varied experience as an administrator too, as he was the first Registrar General of HC, said, “If we steer clear of religion and gender while ensuring that religion/gender doesn’t interfere in protecting women, children and aged persons and respect autonomy of individuals and if we adopt suggestions of youth, I don’t see any conflict in ensuring uniformity”. Justice Chavan said he had no other issues with the panel’s functioning other than what he mentioned in his resignation email. “Let’s preserve our rainbow with minimal intrusion to ensure protection of women, children and aged parents,” he said. He said three members tried to articulate their views on the simple yes and no answers or the need to have the questions examined professionally.
The panel would be uploading its questions soon online for public feedback. The email, addressed to the panel chair, former SC judge Ranjana Desai and others, said, “Considering the time so far lost it was indeed nice to have concluded today’s meeting quickly without beating around the bush.
- It should aim at preserving family as unit of society, providing safety and security 6. Agreements should provide for terms of separation, responsibility of children and aged parents