Six organisations active in Maharashtra banned in some states: Fadnavis on security Bill

Six organisations operating in Maharashtra have already been banned in some other states, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday, 11 July.

Speaking to reporters at Vidhan Bhavan, he said the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill provides a legal framework to act against certain organisations that seek to reject the Indian Constitution despite presenting themselves as constitutional and democratic entities.

The Bill, introduced in December 2024 and passed in the Assembly on Thursday and the Legislative Council on Friday, seeks to prevent "unlawful activities of Left Wing Extremist organisations" with a focus on "urban naxalism" and “passive militancy”.

Asked how many organisations might be affected once the Bill becomes a law, Fadnavis said, “There are 64 organisations operating in the state, of which six are already banned in other states under similar laws.”

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He said Maharashtra had the highest 64 Left Wing Extremist organisations, and some of the outfits banned in four other states (where a similar law is already in force) operated in Maharashtra.

“We have slowly ended the Naxal movement, which used weapons in forests and rural areas. These groups then started creating urban fronts. The names of these organisations appear constitutional, but their real objective is to reject the Constitution. Until now, there was no legal framework to act against them. With this Bill, we now have the means,” he said.

Addressing the Opposition's claim that the Bill would undermine the fundamental rights of citizens, Fadnavis said, “This Bill does not take away anyone’s rights to hold protests or demonstrations. It aims to specifically target those with links to banned frontal organisations of Maoist and Naxal movements."

The CM said nearly 12,000 suggestions were considered by the joint select committee entrusted with drafting the Bill. The committee, headed by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, included members of both the Houses of the state legislature, he said.