Maharashtra UCC panel to be headed by Justice Ranjana Desai, who drafted Uttarakhand’s code

3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 9, 2026 03:20 PM IST

Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar on Thursday announced the formation of a committee headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Desai, to draft rules and recommendations for implementing a Uniform Civil Code in the state. Justice Desai had earlier headed the panel that drafted the legislation for Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand.

The seven-member committee, the state government announced, will comprise former judges of the Supreme Court and High Court, and from various fields. The members include former Bombay High Court judges, Justice RC Chavan and Justice SG Mehare, former Maharashtra Chief Secretary DK Jain, the state’s former Advocate General Birendra Saraf, social activist and Padma Shri awardee Ramesh Patange, and education expert Dr Suvarna Rawal.

Shelar made the announcement in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the Assembly. The state government aims to introduce the Uniform Civil Code legislation during the Winter Session in Nagpur after studying the committee’s report.

What is Uniform Civil Code

The Uniform Civil Code refers to a common set of laws governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, maintenance and succession for all citizens, irrespective of religion, caste, community or faith. At present, India follows separate personal laws for different religious communities. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and other communities are governed by different legal provisions relating to marriage, divorce, inheritance and succession. The implementation of a Uniform Civil Code would replace these separate personal laws with a single legal framework applicable to all citizens.

Uttarakhand was the first state in the country to implement a Uniform Civil Code. The BJP-ruled state brought the law into force on January 27, 2025, after the Legislative Assembly passed the Bill on February 7, 2024. The committee constituted to examine the issue in Uttarakhand had submitted its report on October 18, 2024, following which the state government implemented the legislation.

Samajwadi Party MLA flags panel’s constitution

Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi East Rais Shaikh has demanded that the state government include representatives from minority communities in the committee constituted to prepare the draft of the proposed Uniform Civil Code. Shaikh questioned the absence of a Muslim representative on the panel despite Muslims accounting for nearly 11 per cent of Maharashtra’s population and minorities collectively making up around 20 per cent of the state’s population.

“The Chief Minister has announced a seven-member committee for the Uniform Civil Code, but not a single Muslim representative has been included in it. The issue is most closely associated with the Muslim community and there are concerns and apprehensions among Muslims regarding the proposed law. Therefore, it is essential that the Muslim community be represented on the committee,” Shaikh said.

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He argued that the government should not take a unilateral decision on such an important issue and demanded that the committee headed by Justice Ranjana Desai be reconstituted to include representatives from the Muslim community and other minority groups. Shaikh also said he would soon meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to press for the inclusion of minority representatives in the panel.

Vallabh Ozarkar is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized as an authoritative and deeply knowledgeable voice on the politics, governance, and infrastructure of Maharashtra. With more than nine years of experience in major news organizations, his reporting delivers high standards of Expertise and Trustworthiness.

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