Sanjay Raut slams Maharashtra's Public Safety Bill as tool to suppress dissent

The Hindu

4 days ago

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday (July 20, 2025) launched a blistering attack on the Devendra Fadnavis government over the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, claiming it poses a direct threat to civil liberties and democratic expression in the State.
Writing in his weekly Rokhthok column in the party mouthpiece Saamana, Mr. Raut described the legislation as a tool crafted not for public safety, but to serve political and corporate interests. 'This is not a Jan Suraksha Bill, it is a BJP Suraksha Bill,' he wrote, alleging the government rushed the bill through the legislature without adequate debate.
According to Mr. Raut, the Bill—passed during the recently concluded monsoon session of the Assembly—grants sweeping powers to the police and government to arrest individuals for acts deemed to disturb 'public order,' a phrase he said is deliberately vague and prone to misuse. He warned that NGOs, civil society groups, tribal activists, and those opposing large corporate projects like Gautam Adani's mining operations spread from Chandrapur to Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand forests could now be easily targeted under the new law.
The Maharashtra Assembly on July 10, 2025, passed the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, aimed at preventing 'unlawful activities of Left Wing Extremist organisations or similar groups'. The Bill will now be tabled in the Legislative Council.
'I assure the House that we will not allow the misuse of this law. I request the House to pass this Bill unanimously,' Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who tabled the Bill.
Despite opposition from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and objections by other parties, Speaker Rahul Narvekar declared that the Bill, put to vote through a voice vote, was approved by a majority.
With the passage of the Bill in both Houses, Maharashtra will become the fifth State after Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha to enact a public security law. The law will impose punishments ranging from two to seven years in prison for members of unlawful organisations. Offences under the Act will be cognisable and non-bailable in nature, and grant the government the authority to seize and forfeit funds belonging to such groups.
Mr. Raut further criticised the government's intent behind the bill, saying it is aimed at silencing protests in areas such as Dharavi, where residents have been resisting redevelopment and displacement. 'The Dharavi Rehabilitation Project is the world's biggest land scam. The original residents will be uprooted from their rightful place and the leaders who are fighting for their rights will be labelled as 'Urban Naxalites' and imprisoned under the act. If people cannot protest peacefully against injustice, what remains of democracy?' the column said.
Highlighting the double standards of the ruling coalition, Raut questioned why the government was turning a blind eye to hate speeches and violent acts by right-wing elements, while seeking to criminalise dissent from marginalised communities and activists. He also accused the government of using the bill as a pretext to consolidate power before the upcoming civic elections, particularly in Mumbai. 'The law is being used to intimidate those who dare speak against the regime or its business allies,' he claimed.
'Such laws attack the soul of democracy. If this bill becomes law, it will be a dark day for Maharashtra,' he added.