State may take the ordinance route to bring in Ap-like law

MUMBAI: After the Maharashtra government failed to enact a legislation on the lines of Andhra Pradesh’s Disha Act to curb crimes against women and children in the ongoing session of the legislature, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday indicated that the state could bring in an ordinance to introduce the law.

As per the Disha law, the total judgment time in cases pertaining to crimes against women and children reduces to 21 days from the current four months. The Maharashtra government wanted to enact a similar law in the ongoing budget session to provide speedy trials in such cases.

However, owing to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, the session, which was due to end on March 20, will come to an end on Saturday, as all the parties agreed to curtail the session so that the administration can devote more time to handle the situation. CM proposed to introduce the law through an ordinance, which will be a temporary arrangement till a regular bill is passed in the legislature once it commences.

“We had planned to table a bill on the lines of the Act in Andhra Pradesh. A draft is

being prepared. But we have another challenge before us: Coronavirus. The session is ending tomorrow and I do not think a bill can be introduced [in this session]. But we will do everything to bring this law. If needed, we will bring in an ordinance soon,” Thackeray said.

Thackeray said that the department is preparing a draft of the same. “We are also consulting legal experts so that there are no loopholes in the law and there is no misuse of the same,” he added.

The CM made the statement in response to legislator Vinayak Mete’s question on tackling crimes against women

in his home district of Beed. Mete sought to know the status of the bill the government had planned to table during the ongoing session.

Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on February 26 had announced that a bill on the lines of the Disha Act will be tabled in the state legislature within 10 days.

A five-member panel was appointed to study the Andhra law and prepare a draft on it.

Deshmukh had also visited Andhra Pradesh last month to research the subject and met with Andhra chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for discussions in this regard.