Opposition leaders with Maharashtra Governor, July 18, 2025.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Mumbai: Amid criticism for not being able to put up a strong defense against the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, popularly known as the Jan Suraksha Bill, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi on Friday called on Governor C P Radhakrishnan and requested him to return the proposed law to the government for consideration.
The Jan Suraksha Bill was passed by both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature last week.
During the passage of the Bill, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the state Home Minister and Law & Judiciary Minister, assured that it would not be misused.
The Bill was first introduced during the 2024 monsoon session by Fadnavis, who was then Deputy CM; however, the Bill was revived after the Maha Yuti returned to power and reintroduced during the winter session in Nagpur. It was sent to a joint select committee, headed by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, which held five meetings between March 4 and June 26 and received over 12,500 suggestions and objections.
In the Assembly, only CPI(M) MLA Vinod Nikole opposed the Bill.
In fact, the Congress high command has taken a serious view of the grand old party’s legislature party for not putting up a strong case on the floor of the two Houses to oppose the Bill.
A delegation of the MVA, comprising Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve of Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar, and NCP(SP) group leader Jayant Patil, met the Governor at the Raj Bhavan and urged him to return the Bill.
“Considering the public unrest, we requested that the Governor should send the Bill back to the government for reconsideration,” said Wadettiwar.