UP Assembly passes 27 key bills on Saturday

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 22 (ANI): During a three-day session, the Yogi Adityanath-led government passed 27 bills in the state assembly including the Uttar Pradesh Security Force Bill and Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Properties Bill, 2020.

UP assembly speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit said, “This three-day session was fruitful. In the last three days, a total of 138 petitions were received on which action will be taken. Most importantly, a record 27 bills were passed.”

These bills will now be sent to Governor Anandiben Patel for final approval.

Earlier, the state government had implemented major ordinances after the outbreak of COVID-19 related to cuts in the salary of ministers, postponement of MLA funds, and legislators and preventing attacks on frontline workers.

The ordinances brought by the state government were required to get the approval of the Assembly under constitutional obligation.

Earlier in March, the governor had promulgated an ordinance for recovery of damages to public and private properties from rioters and protesters, and to provide the setting-up of tribunals to adjudicate claims for damages and recover them.

According to the statement of object and reasons (SOR) of the ordinance, it aims at dealing with "all acts of violence at public places and to control its persistence and escalation, and to provide for the recovery of damage to public or private property during hartal, bundh, riots, public commotion or protests."

The UP Cabinet had approved the ordinance on March 13, a day after a vacation bench of the apex court, comprising justices UU Lalit and Aniruddha Bose, refused to stay the Allahabad High Court's order for removal of the government's anti-CAA stir, name-and-shame posters.

While hearing an urgent plea by the state government seeking a stay of the high court order, the apex court had refused to grant relief to the government saying that there was no law to support its action.

Earlier in June, the BJP government had approved the Cow-Slaughter Prevention (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. The amendment called for stricter punishment for violators and permitted publication of pictures of the accused at prominent spots in the city.

The cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister approved the amendment to Section 5A of the UP Cow Slaughter Prevention Act 1955. It penalises cow slaughter with jail terms ranging from a minimum of one year to a maximum of 10 years and imposes monetary fines between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. (ANI)