Mumbai: To curb the growing influence of extremist leftist ideologies and prevent the youth from drifting toward Naxalism, the Maharashtra government has drafted a Special Public Security Bill which is at final stage. Suggestions and objections were sought from the people on this draft and as of today 13000 suggestions have been received by the committee on the draft.
The final meeting of the Public Security Bill committee was held at Vidhanbhavan on Thursday and the Bill will be tabled in the upcoming assembly session for approval. Revenue Minister and Chairman of the Public Security Bill Committee, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, expressed confidence that the legislation would effectively counter anti-national and unconstitutional Naxalite ideas.
The committee held its fifth and final meeting at Vidhan Bhavan on Friday to review the draft bill. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Bawankule stated that over 13,000 suggestions and recommendations were received from responsible citizens across Maharashtra. These were thoroughly studied and incorporated into the final version of the bill.
He emphasized that this bill is a hopeful step for safeguarding social stability, with valuable input from all committee members. Several important revisions have been made based on public feedback and expert opinions, and the finalized bill will be introduced during the Monsoon Session of the state legislature. Bawankule expressed confidence that all members would support the bill, which aims to protect the youth from falling into extremist ideologies like Naxalism.
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The committee has recommended that the government adopt a comprehensive de-radicalization policy. This comes amid growing concerns over certain groups being increasingly attracted to Naxalism. The goal is to divert such individuals—particularly youth—away from extremist paths and bring them into the mainstream of society.
During the meeting, MLA Jitendra Awhad emphasized the need to ensure the law is not misused or applied excessively.
Key Revisions Included in the Bill:
1) A revised provision proposes enacting a new law to prevent the unlawful activities of radical left-wing groups and related entities. This legislation is introduced in the 75th year of the Republic of India.
2) The advisory board will now include a sitting or retired High Court judge as chairperson and members such as public prosecutors and other legal experts associated with the High Court.
3) Section 15 of the proposed act has been amended to ensure that investigations of offenses under this act are conducted by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) instead of Police Sub-Inspectors.
