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Maharashtra

Samajwadi Party MLA challenges Maharashtra govt order tracking inter-community marriages

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A Samajwadi Party MLA has filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the Maharashtra government’s order setting up a Family Coordination Committee (FCC) to monitor inter-faith and inter-caste marriages in the state, here on Friday.

MLA Rais K. Shaikh has said that the Government Resolution (GR) to the effect is discriminatory against a particular religion and violates Article 14 (Right to Equality) and Article 15 (Right to Life which includes Right to Privacy) and Article 25 (Right to Freedom of Religion) and other articles as enshrined in the Constitution.

The GR of December 13, 2022 came in the wake of the grisly killing of a Palghar girl, Shraddha Walkar in Delhi, allegedly by her inter-faith boyfriend, Shaikh said in the plea filed through lawyer Jeet Gandhi.

“That the assumption that adult women who choose and consent to marry someone from another faith need to be ‘saved’ is misplaced and goes against the spirit of the Constitution,” Shaikh said in his plea.

He claimed that it is the government’s attempt to discourage and/ or prohibit interfaith marriages and is a precursor to the laws related to purported ‘love jihad’ marriages that have been stayed in numerous states in the country.

The government’s FCC is ostensibly intended to provide a platform to ‘counsel, communicate and resolve’ differences between such couples and their estranged families.

Shaikh said that the FCC can intervene at the behest of any person which is a breach of the couple’s privacy, especially when two consenting adults are married to each other.

He pointed out that the discourse around marriage in India fails to place adult individuals at the centre with the family, campaigning vigilante groups and societal forces playing the role to control the lives and determine the future of the young people who have chosen their own partner.

The plea argued that the GR seeks to create a regressive and false narrative that “it is only in inter-faith or inter-caste marriages that a girl is at risk from her partner”.

Besides, Shaikh said that the GR discriminates against a particular religion and encourages a divide among people instead of harmony, co-existence, assimilation and peace.

The FCC is authorised to seek information of both registered and unregistered marriages, which the petition warns could violate several rights of couples who have eloped to marry.

He contended that the GR is ultra vires the Constitution as it was issued unilaterally, in extreme haste, under suspicious circumstances without following due procedures, particularly since distressed women have recourse to other laws like Indian Penal Code and Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.

Shaikh said that the GR doesn’t cover those who plan to wed under personal laws and/or in their own religion, and sought that it should be scrapped, and the petition is likely to come up for hearing in due course.

It may be recalled that earlier, the state government’s move had been flayed on various counts, including that it could result in targetting of people belonging to a particular minority.

Maharashtra

Anti-drug awareness campaign in Mumbai: College and school students participated in anti-drug rallies and took pledge to stay away from drugs

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Mumbai: Mumbai Anti Narcotics Cell and Mumbai Police have jointly launched anti-drug awareness campaign and today on the occasion of Anti-Drug Day various programs were organized in which awareness against drug abuse and banner display against drugs and skits and dramas were also presented. Rallies were taken out against drug abuse in Kandivali, Borivali, Kasturba Marg, Samtanagar Dandoshi of Mumbai. On this occasion, NSS students of Shailendra College participated in the anti-drug campaign. Along with this, a rally was taken out by putting banners and posters on vehicles. 150 to 200 students participated in it. Anti-drug awareness campaign in Mumbai was organized at 7 places in Mumbai in which 4500 students participated and 40 schools and colleges also participated. This campaign was led by Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and Joint Commissioner of Police Crime Laxmi Gautam DCPANC. Along with these rallies, students and participants involved in the rallies took a pledge to stay away from drugs and make the society free from it.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Legislature Monsoon Session Scheduled in Mumbai from June 30 to July 18

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Mumbai, June 26, 2025 — The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and Council will hold their Monsoon session from June 30 to July 18, as announced at the meeting of the Legislative Work Advisory Committee. The session is set to take place at the Vidhana Bhavan in Mumbai.

The upcoming session is expected to see important discussions on various state issues, legislative amendments, and government policies. Leaders and members of the legislative assembly expressed their readiness to engage in deliberations aimed at addressing the concerns of citizens and advancing development initiatives.

The announcement has been welcomed by political parties across the spectrum, with expectations of productive debates and decision-making during this period. The committee emphasized the importance of the session in facilitating smooth governance and providing a platform for legislative deliberations.

Details regarding the agenda and schedule of the sessions will be shared soon, with the authorities urging all members to adhere to the protocols and ensure a collaborative environment throughout the period.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Govt Forms Committee To Review Shakti Criminal Law Bill Amid Centre’s Objections

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Mumbai: The state government has announced a committee under the Director General of Police (DGP) to review the Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill pending in the state legislature.

The committee will compare the provisions made in the Bill with the new legal framework of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The formation of the committee follows a statement made by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis a few months ago.

The statement came after objections raised by the Union Home Ministry over some provisions that were in conflict with a few judgments of the Supreme Court. The CM had said the state would review the Bill and reintroduce it, if required.

On Wednesday, the state government issued orders to form a six-member committee under the DGP, with the following members – Principal Secretary to the Law and Judiciary Department, Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department, Additional DG (Law and Order), Deputy Secretary in the Law Department and the Additional DG (prevention of crimes against Women and Children) as member secretary.

The committee will work on two points – a comparative study of the state bill with the BNS and BNSS – and will recommend if more specific legal provisions are needed compared to the Central Act. The report of the committee is expected in two months.

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