Supriya Sule and other NCP workers protest in Mumbai against the state’s requirement for a fast-track judiciary to pass the Shakti Bill for stiffer punishment for rape cases. The protest was mainly with women coming out this morning near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside the state secretariat while the President of India Droupadi Murmu, proceeded to Maharashtra State legislative council for its hundred-year celebration.
The Shakti Bill, which was officially known as Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill, 2020 and the Special Court & Machinery for Implementation of Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, 2020, was passed by the Maharashtra legislative assembly during Maha Vikas Aghadi government. It prescribes harsh punishments for the crime – rape, including the capital punishment. The bill is still up for the president to sign, which makes it a law.
The Maharashtra NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh, Former Home Minister, criticized postponing the bill, stating that the passing of the bill would be able to give justice to the victims of sexual assault. He recalled that while serving as Home Minister, he approved the bill to strengthen legal actions against the rapists. In his reaction, Deshmukh called upon the state government to ensure that following the passage of the bill, it should immediately press for its passage at the center and, if need be, pass amendments.
Due to the recent rise of cases of sexual abuse to minor girls in Badlapur, the Shakti Bill has gained more prominence among the public and societal debates. The proponents of the bill have said that as much as implementing such stringent measures is important in curbing the increasing cases of sexual violence, offering justice to victims is paramount.
Being the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), Priyanka Chaturvedi has also supported the bill and has penned a letter to President Murmu to get the bill passed as soon as possible. The pressure from political leaders and ladies’ rights activists is an indication of the increasing need to enhance the laws protecting girls and children in Maharashtra.
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