Overview
- The Maharashtra government this week released a public questionnaire and pressed ahead with a draft Uniform Civil Code process after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Constitution’s Directive Principles require states to work toward a common civil code.
- AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said on Tuesday that the exercise appears designed to impose Hindu-origin laws on non-Hindus, arguing the draft treats divorce and legitimacy like the Hindu Marriage Act and would conflict with Islamic practices such as nikah and khula.
- Critics point to specific procedural flaws in the consultation: many questions are framed as yes-or-no prompts, the questionnaire focuses on polygamy and extra-judicial divorce while omitting Hindu Undivided Family issues, and retired Bombay High Court judge R.C. Chavan resigned citing the absence of minority representation.
- Parallel legal and security developments are intensifying scrutiny of the government’s agenda, with Fadnavis saying a Mumbai Police SIT found no foul play in the Disha Salian matter while the court flagged gaps and directed a CBI probe, and the new Maharashtra Special Public Security Act is only in early implementation.
- Article 44 is a non-justiciable Directive Principle that has long driven UCC debate, four BJP-ruled states have moved similar measures and the Maharashtra exercise could directly affect how marriage, divorce, succession and family law are applied for millions and shape political fault lines ahead.