Anil Deshmukh Pushes for Shakti Bill Implementation

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh has urged for the immediate clearance and implementation of the Shakti bill, advocating for the death penalty for crimes against children and women. The bill was passed three years ago but is pending Central government approval. Recent allegations of abuse in a Badlapur school have intensified the demand.

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday demanded the immediate clearance and implementation of the Shakti Bill, which includes provisions for the death penalty for crimes against children and women. This call follows a disturbing incident at a school in Badlapur.

Both houses of the Maharashtra legislature passed the Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill, 2020, and the Special Court & Machinery for Implementation of Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, 2020, when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was in power.

At a press conference, Deshmukh said, "During my term as home minister, I formed a 21-member legislative committee to draft the Shakti Bill, modeled after an act in Andhra Pradesh. The bill was approved by Uddhav Thackeray's cabinet and passed by the state legislature. It is currently pending Central government approval."

Deshmukh highlighted that the bill was crafted with input from various stakeholders, and lamented the delay in its implementation. He stressed that a "Shakti Act" would be sufficient to impose the death penalty on the culprit in the Badlapur case, which has sparked a significant backlash and a political confrontation between the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition bloc MVA.

Deshmukh also questioned the 12-13 hour delay in filing an FIR in the Badlapur case and urged the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate whether this delay was due to the school's alleged connections with a BJP leader. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called for President Droupadi Murmu's expedited approval of the bills.

(With inputs from agencies.)