West Bengal anti-social activities bill returned by President

President Droupadi Murmu has returned the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, to the state government for further examination. The legislation, passed by the West Bengal Assembly in June, aims to combat organized crime, extortion, illegal mining, and cybercrime by allowing the preventive detention of individuals deemed “desperate and dangerous to the community” for up to one year.

The primary concern raised by the Union government involves a potential conflict with central laws. Specifically, the bill’s definition of “goondas” includes individuals charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The President’s note indicated that this provision could create a parallel detention framework that overlaps with the existing Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, 1988.

To resolve this inconsistency and align with Article 254 of the Constitution, the Union government recommended removing references to NDPS Act offences from the bill. Under the proposed law, detention orders would be issued by district magistrates or high-ranking police officers, with cases reviewed by an advisory board led by a High Court judge. West Bengal administration officials stated they will review the note before deciding whether to amend and resubmit the bill.