With a view to protecting women, the Maharashtra government had passed the Shakti Bill in both the houses of the Legislature on the lines of the Disha Act. The bill then went to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for approval. The governor also signed the bill. After this, President Ramnath Kovind signed the bill today, paving the way for implementation of Shakti Act in Maharashtra.
State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil has given this information in the Assembly. Shiv Sena MLA Manisha Kayande has said that Maharashtra has become the first state to provide maximum protection to women due to enactment of Shakti Bill. The Mahavikas Aghadi government had brought this bill in the House for the safety of women. The law is meant to enable women to fight more effectively. Steps will also be taken to set up a special court for women's issues in the near future. Manisha Kayande has praised the government for taking care of women.
In order to curb the atrocities against women, the law of 'Shakti', which provides for severe punishment like death for crimes like rape, will be implemented in Maharashtra. She said that this step taken by Maharashtra for the protection of women is definitely promising and there is no doubt that this law will be a shield of strength for all women.
The Mahavikas Aghadi government had sent the power bill to the governor after it was approved. The Shakti Bill was unanimously passed by the ruling Mahavikas Aghadi and BJP MLAs in the December Assembly. The law is based on the Andhra Pradesh Disha Act. The law has not yet been approved by the President. Therefore, even though the 'Shakti' Act was passed in Maharashtra, it had to wait for the President's approval for its implementation. The then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had announced the enactment of Andhra Pradesh-style Shakti Act to enable effective action to be taken on complaints of atrocities against women and children and to punish the accused severely. Accordingly, the Shakti Criminal Law (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill was introduced in the legislature in the budget session last year. In this law, defamation of women on social media, acid attack, molestation etc. will be made non-bailable. So all the cases have to be settled within a month. This includes setting up separate investigative agencies and special courts in each district.