The Maharashtra government plans to table its Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill during the winter session of the state assembly in Nagpur, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday. Fadnavis said the government will move ahead with the proposed legislation once the seven-member panel appointed to examine the UCC submits its report.Fadnavis confirmed on Monday that the committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Desai is currently working on the framework for the proposed code and that the government would act after receiving its report.“Look, the Maharashtra government has already formed a committee to prepare the Uniform Civil Code. The committee is working, and I believe that once the committee submits its report, we will implement it soon,” he told reporters.The chief minister also reiterated that the government would proceed with implementation after the panel completes its exercise.“The Maharashtra government has constituted a committee on UCC, and it is working on the matter. We will proceed with implementation as soon as the panel submits its report,” Fadnavis said.The seven-member committee was set up in July with a six-month deadline to submit its recommendations. Its members include former high court judges R C Chavan and S G Mehare, former chief secretary D K Jain, former advocate general Virendra Saraf, constitutional expert Ramesh Patange and educationist Suvarna Rawal, apart from Justice Desai.Fadnavis’ announcement came a day after Union home minister Amit Shah said BJP-led NDA governments in 21 states would introduce the UCC before 2029. Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam have already passed UCC legislation, in February 2024, March 2026 and May 2026 respectively.Separately, Fadnavis hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the political debate surrounding the vegetarian menu served at the BRICS Summit dinner in Delhi.“BRICS was not organised for a dinner,” Fadnavis said, arguing that the focus should instead remain on the summit’s diplomatic outcome.He highlighted the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration, saying China, Russia and other participating countries had signed the document, which included a reference to terrorism and Pakistan.“The New Delhi Declaration was unanimous. China and Russia signed it. Some people get stomach ache because of India’s diplomatic victory, so they bring up issues like food and cultural programmes,” he said.Fadnavis further said, “There could be no greater diplomatic or strategic victory for India than this. Yet, it seems that this victory causes distress to some people; consequently, to downplay its significance, they raise trivial issues—sometimes regarding the food served, other times concerning the cultural program.
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I consider this to be a very narrow and flawed mindset.”The two-day BRICS Summit was held on September 12 and 13 at Bharat Mandapam. In Maharashtra, the immediate next step on the UCC will be the submission of the committee’s report, after which the government is expected to determine the final legislative route and timing.
