Bill to bring drug crimes under MCOCA passed in Maharashtra assembly

Mumbai, Jul 9 (PTI) The Maharashtra assembly on Wednesday passed a bill for bringing drug peddlers and narcotics crimes under the purview of the stringent anti-organised crime law MCOCA.
The bill, tabled in the lower house on Tuesday, amended the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and will make it tough for drug peddlers to obtain bail after arrest.
Last week, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, had said in the legislative council that the government would amend the existing laws so that drug peddlers are booked under the stringent Act.
Accordingly, the government tabled the amendment bill and got it passed.
The amendment sought to expand the definition of "organised crime" in order to include activities related to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances under its ambit.
The bill proposed to define production, manufacture, possession, sale and transport of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances as organised crime.
The MCOCA, passed in 1999, defines organised crime as unlawful activity by an individual, singly or jointly, either as a member of an organised crime syndicate or on behalf of it.
At present, those involved in drugs trade are booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Speaking in the upper house last week, Fadnavis said those arrested under the NDPS Act get bail and resume their illegal activities again as he pushed for amending the law to book them under the MCOCA.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)