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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Govt assures swift UCC implementation

Mumbai: Maharashtra government unequivocally declared its commitment to implementing the Uniform Civil Code across the state, assuring the legislative assembly that a comprehensive legal framework is already in the advanced stages of formulation. Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam categorically stated on the floor of the House on Tuesday that the ruling Mahayuti administration is entirely positive about the swift introduction of the Uniform Civil Code to standardize personal laws. To...

Govt assures swift UCC implementation

Mumbai: Maharashtra government unequivocally declared its commitment to implementing the Uniform Civil Code across the state, assuring the legislative assembly that a comprehensive legal framework is already in the advanced stages of formulation. Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam categorically stated on the floor of the House on Tuesday that the ruling Mahayuti administration is entirely positive about the swift introduction of the Uniform Civil Code to standardize personal laws. To facilitate this monumental legislative transition, the state government has formally sanctioned the constitution of a dedicated expert committee, which is being spearheaded by a retired High Court judge. This committee has been entrusted with the critical responsibility of meticulously preparing the draft bill for the Uniform Civil Code, which the government intends to enact immediately upon the submission of the final report. Emphasising the overarching objectives of the proposed legislation, Kadam noted that the Uniform Civil Code would universally apply to every citizen irrespective of their religious affiliations and would explicitly incorporate a stringent ban on the controversial practice of polygamy. The minister drew direct parallels with the legislative measures recently adopted by states like Uttarakhand, underscoring that the impending law in Maharashtra would similarly entail severe penal consequences, potentially including imprisonment for up to seven years for violations related to polygamy and illegal divorce practices. He firmly maintained that the government’s approach is fundamentally secular, harboring no animosity toward any specific religion, but is rather driven by the constitutional imperative to extend equal rights, legal protection, and comprehensive justice to women from all communities. This definitive policy assurance from the government was catalysed by a highly volatile calling attention motion initiated by BJP legislator Devyani Farande, which thrust the deeply sensitive issues of triple talaq and polygamy into the center of the assembly’s monsoon session. Farande brought the ongoing plight of Muslim women to the immediate attention of the House, asserting that despite the central government’s strict legislative prohibition, the illegal practice of instant divorce continues to flourish unabated.

Bhoomiputras’ Leaders

Updated: Nov 7, 2024

Bhoomiputras

In the seaside town of Alibaug which buzzes with high-end resorts and bungalows of the rich and the famous, is the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) that champions the cause of the not-so-privileged. This left-leaning party has seen three generations of the Patil family holding top positions and is now set for a member of the fourth generation to make her electoral debut. Siblings Meenakshi, Subhash and Jayant Patil, have made the PWP a well-recognised name as Meenakshi held ministerial portfolios and Jayant has been a member of the legislative council for several years. Their grandfather Narayan Patil or Nanasaheb was among the founding members of the PWP which was formed in 1948. He had led the famous Thari Satyagrah which championed the rights of landless farm labourers against the might of feudal landlords.


Their uncle, Dattatray Patil, was an MLA and has served a leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly between 1987 and 1990.


Locally known as the ‘first family’ of the PWP, the Patils have, for long, wielded considerable political and electoral influence over Alibaug, matching the popularity of the various political dynasties that control cooperatives and educational empires in the state. While the party tried to position itself as an anti-Congress, anti-right-wing force, it has joined hands with the Congress and was part of the Shiv Sena-BJP government in 1995.


Meenakshi was a member of the legislative assembly from Alibaug from 1995 and also held the position of a minister of state for ports and fisheries in Vilasrao Deshmukh’s government in 1999. Her brother Jayant has been an MLC since 2002 until he lost the elections to the upper house of the Maharashtra legislature this year. The family’s political influence has been strong despite the party not having too many legislators. Jayant has courted controversy several times; in 2015, a farmer had accused him of land grab and the anti-corruption bureau had launched a probe into his assets; he had heckled Shahrukh Khan for allegedly delaying the departure of the ferry and in 2019, was accused by a journalist for slapping him without any provocation. His brother Subhash Patil has also been an MLA from Alibaug.


Jayant Patil’s 37-year-old daughter-in-law Chitralekha made her electoral debut by filing her nomination for the assembly elections from Alibaug. She made news when she cycled to to file her nomination.

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