‘SOCIAL BOYCOTT LAW IN MAHARASHTRA ‘–

What has Maharashtra government done?
The Maharashtra assembly passed a new law on april 13, 2016 to make social boycott a crime that invites imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of Rs 5 lakh or both.

Q A
What has Maharashtra government done?
  • The Maharashtra assembly passed a new law on april 13, 2016 to make social boycott a crime that invites imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of Rs 5 lakh or both.
  • Social boycott prohibition officers are to be recruited by the state to detect offences and assist the magistrate and police officers in tackling cases.
What was the need of such law?
  • According to government, A separate law had become necessary in the wake of a large number of such cases being reported from the districts. 
Why is the move criticized by experts?
  • Be it in the name of caste, tradition or religion, social boycott is indeed a serious problem — but it does not need a new law.
  • The added layer of bureaucracy to monitor it would, in all probability, be ineffectual in addressing the problem, while encouraging tendencies of state-sponsored vigilantism, which are already rampant in Maharashtra.
  • The Fadnavis government’s move may be well-intentioned but it points to an old Indian syndrome: The rush to legislate to “fix” a complex social issue. New laws are also often resorted to in order to distract from the administration’s failures to work the existing laws.
  • Indian penal law already has ample provisions to punish discriminatory practices based on caste, gender or faith. If the Maharashtra administration has failed to enforce these, the problem must be addressed at that level, instead of bringing in a new law.
  • It is rightly said that India is an overregulated but undergoverned state.

WORD FROM TEAM GS-SCORE –

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For further detail Refer article titled “Hiding behind law” from dated April 15, 2016

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