Muslim Groups Slam Maharashtra’s Special Public Security Bill As 'Draconian', Demand Rollback

Muslim groups have opposed the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill 2024, which was passed by the Legislative Assembly on Thursday despite opposition from civil society groups. 

Calling for a roll back of the bill, the Students Islamic Organisation said  the bill grants the executive unchecked powers to brand organisations as 'unlawful' without fair process, criminalises routine dissent, and enables property seizure and financial ruin through non-judicial mechanisms. The bill's provisions still remain vague, broad and open to misuse by authorities, said 

Uzair Ahmed, secretary, SIO Maharashtra South. "This threatens to undermine democracy, civil liberties, and fundamental rights, and lay the groundwork for an ideologically driven crackdown on opposition groups, activists, and social movements," Ahmed said in a statement.

Further, the committee constituted to review the bill did not conduct a single public hearing or grant personal hearings to numerous individuals and civil society organisations despite inviting written objections from them, SIO said. This callous attitude shows that the entire process was a sham and was never intended for democratic deliberation, the statement further said. 

SIO called the law 'draconian' and added that existing laws like UAPA, MCOCA and BNS are comprehensive enough to deal with the security challenges that the state faces.