Mumbai, June 23 (IANS) The Maharashtra government has approved the formation of a retired High Court judge-led committee to submit a report on implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state.

The UCC will be implemented in the state after receiving the committee report, said Minister of State (Home) Yogesh Kadam in the state legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

“The Maharashtra government is positive about the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code. Chief Minister Fadnavis has given his nod to form a committee led by a retired High Court judge to prepare a draft for the UCC. Once the report is submitted, the UCC will be implemented,” said Kadam.

The minister was replying to the calling attention motion raised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Devyani Farande over the instances of triple talaq in Nasik district.

Earlier, Farande had claimed that despite the Centre banning Triple Talaq, such instances are on the rise and she has received complaints from three Muslim women regarding threats, violence and triple talaq from their respective husbands.

“Even Pakistan has now brought in restrictions on polygamy,” Farande said, demanding to know the state government’s stand on polygamy which she said was permitted under Islam and whether UCC will be brought in Maharashtra on the lines of Uttarakhand and Gujarat.

“Assam has banned polygamy. Will Maharashtra do the same?” she asked. Replying positively to her demand on UCC, Kadam said that once the code is brought, the ban on polygamy will be included in the same.

“The government is not against any religion, neither an individual. The UCC when brought will be applicable to every individual, irrespective of their religion,” he said.

During the discussion, ruling NCP MLA Sana Malik countered Farande asking whether only Muslim women are suffering from violence and whether polygamy was in existence in Islam alone? “I want to inform that only instant talaq has been banned and not triple talaq,” she said.

Malik’s intervention led to Opposition members coming out in her support while the BJP MLAs claimed that the state will run by the Constitution and not by any religious scriptures.

It led to commotion within the Assembly for a few minutes with members from both sides getting involved in verbal exchanges.

Kadam informed the Assembly that in 2024 around 42 cases of triple talaq were registered in which 152 arrests were made while in the year 2025 around 39 cases were registered leading to 95 arrests.

“It shows that the practice is still in existence and it needs to be tackled using the law,” said Kadam, assuring swift action against the accused.

The minister maintained that the government is not against any religion but is interested in extending help to women, irrespective of their religion.

–IANS

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