Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that the government departments were meticulously reviewing the provisions of the Shakti Bill, which provides for stringent punishment for crimes against women, to determine if it will surpass Central acts. Speaking in the legislative council, Fadnavis said it was important to assess whether the Shakti Bill’s provisions would clash with the guidelines established by the Supreme Court through various verdicts.
The deputy chief minister was responding to a question by NCP MLC Amol Mitkari. The Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill, 2020, inspired by the Disha Act of Andhra Pradesh and other similar laws, was passed by the state legislature in December 2021 and was sent for the President’s assent last year.
Fadnavis stressed the need for a comprehensive evaluation of the provisions of the Bill, as the Central government is in the process of enacting new laws within the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Seven to eight departments are deliberating to ascertain the potential impact of the Shakti Bill on the forthcoming legal framework proposed by the Central government and to determine if it would surpass Central acts, he said.