Overview
- Justice R.C. Chavan submitted his resignation hours after the committee's second online meeting on September 19, and the Maharashtra government accepted the resignation days later.
- Chavan said he objected to a questionnaire finalised by the committee chair that he says reduces public responses to yes/no answers and prevents substantive suggestions from being captured.
- He also complained that agenda items were disposed of quickly during the meeting and alleged an officer from outside Maharashtra participated in the discussion without clear role or authority.
- The seven-member committee, led by retired Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Desai, has a six-month mandate to draft UCC rules and is under political pressure from state and national leaders to produce a report that could feed into a winter-session bill.
- Chavan is a retired Bombay High Court judge with a record in judicial administration, and his departure raises questions about the committee's transparency, whether a replacement will be named, and the credibility of the public-consultation process.