In a letter to committee chairperson Justice Ranjana Desai, Chavan warned that reducing complex social issues – such as delayed marriages, infertility and rising matrimonial disputes – to binary answers would undermine genuine consensus‑building, and he questioned the panel’s overall approach.

The resignation prompted a sharp response from Congress general secretary for communications Jairam Ramesh, who posted on X that the judge’s departure “raises larger questions” about the Maharashtra government’s UCC draft process and called the proposed code a “non‑uniform ‘Uniform’ Civil Code” being “bulldozed through in every state.”

Ramesh reminded readers that the Modi government had referred the UCC question to the 21st Law Commission of India in 2016. The Commission’s 2018 consultation paper concluded that a Uniform Civil Code was “neither necessary nor desirable at this stage,” recommending reforms within existing personal laws while preserving India’s legal and cultural diversity.

According to Ramesh, the central government has ignored those findings, pushing ahead with state‑level UCCs. Uttarakhand’s code came into force on January 27, 2025, followed by Gujarat’s bill on March 24, 2026, Assam’s on May 27, 2026 and Madhya Pradesh’s on July 21, 2026. He argued that these statutes differ in provisions, penalties and procedures, making them far from uniform.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced that the BJP‑led NDA will implement a Uniform Civil Code in all 21 NDA‑ruled states before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, a timeline Ramesh described as “typical bombastic” and a tool for “division, disruption and diversion.”

The Congress statement also highlighted that the only UCC currently in force – Uttarakhand’s – retains several patriarchal elements and is creating problems for law‑abiding residents, contradicting the government’s claim of progressive reform.

Chavan’s resignation and the ensuing political sparring come as the BJP seeks to cement the UCC as a flagship policy ahead of the next general election, while opposition parties warn that the push could deepen societal polarisation.