Maharashtra hub of ‘urban Maoist’ activities: Govt on special law on public safety

The Special Public Security Act in Maharashtra was introduced as the state became a “hub for urban Maoist” activities, the government said, citing the presence of 64 active front organisations, the highest in the country.

Editorial | The Danger of Thought: On the Special Public Safety Act in Maharashtra

The legislation has been introduced to provide a strong legal framework to prevent and deal with illegal, subversive and extremist activities, the state government said in an affidavit filed on Tuesday (October 8, 2026) in the Bombay High Court.

The affidavit was filed in response to a slew of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Maharashtra Special Public Safety Act (MSPSA).

The growing presence of “urban Maoist” networks in the state has necessitated a special legal framework to combat illegal and subversive activities, she noted.

According to the affidavit, Maharashtra has emerged as a “central location for urban Maoist activities”.

Based on data collected by the Home Ministry, it claimed that there are 64 active front organizations in the state, the highest in the country.

“The legislation seeks to strike a balance between fundamental freedoms and the state’s duty to protect public order and national integrity,” the affidavit reads.

The petitions were filed by the Congress, the Communist Party of India and some social activists.

A bench of Chief Justice MC Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna on Tuesday (October 6) granted time to the petitioners to file their rejoinder to the government’s affidavit.

The government asked the High Court to dismiss the claims, saying the petitioners had suffered no direct legal injury.

Passed by the State Assembly last July and approved by President Droupadi Murmu in December, the MSPSA seeks to ensure effective prevention of certain illegal activities by left-wing extremist organizations or similar bodies.

The law specifies four crimes for which an individual can be punished: membership of an illegal organization; a non-member who raises funds for, assists in the management of, or engages in illegal activity for, such an organization.

It empowers the state government to designate any suspected organization as an “unlawful organization”.

The petitions argued that the law grants “broad, arbitrary, and excessive powers” to the executive branch to ban organizations and seize their assets based on vague and overly broad definitions of illegal activity and illegal organization.

Published – 7 Oct 2026 10:52 IST