Maharashtra Passes Bill To Incorporate Shakti Act Provisions Into BNS
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill amending the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and incorporating stringent provisions from the proposed Shakti Act to strengthen safeguards against crimes targeting women.
The bill, introduced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, aims to strengthen legal protections by banning disclosure of the identities of acid attack victims and punishing harassment through phone calls, social media, obscene digital communications and unauthorized sharing of women’s photos or videos.
While presenting the bill in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Fadnavis said the Shakti Act was earlier unanimously passed by the state and sent to the Center for approval. However, the Union government later informed the state that it had implemented the BNS, which included most of the provisions of the Shakti Act.
The state government subsequently constituted a committee under the Director General of Police (DGP) to examine both the laws and identify provisions not included in the BNS. “The DGP submitted a report stating that only two sections of the Shakti Act were not included in the BNS. As a result, we proposed a state amendment to cover both the sections,” said Mr. Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio.
The prime minister added that under the amendment, the identities of acid attack victims will be protected in the same way as rape victims. The bill states that Article 72 of the BNS penalizes disclosure of the identity of victims of certain sexual offences, but Article 124, although it deals with grievous injury caused by acid, does not cover victims of acid attacks. The amendment aims to expand identity protection to such victims.
It also states that Section 75, which defines sexual harassment, does not adequately cover offenses committed via email, social media or other digital modes, including offensive communications and threats to disseminate photographic, audio or video files.
Mr. Fadnavis said the proposed changes would be sent to the Center for approval.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav and NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad urged the government to consider provisions to protect men from harassment.
Responding to concerns, Mr. Fadnavis said the government will examine the recommendations and assess whether the law has been misused. “We will bring equality to the law,” he said, adding that any abuse or “weaponization” of the legislation would not be allowed.
