Barely two months after assuming office, the BJP government in West Bengal is preparing to introduce two of its most consequential pieces of legislation yet — one that would significantly expand the state's coercive powers in the name of public order, and another that seeks to replace religion-specific personal laws with a Uniform Civil Code.

Taken together, the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, along with amendments to the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order Act, 1972, and the Uniform Civil Code Bill, 2026, go well beyond routine legislative reform. They reflect two of the BJP's longstanding ideological priorities: a stronger security apparatus backed by wider executive powers, and legal uniformity across communities.

Supporters describe the Bills as long-overdue reforms that will curb organised crime, strengthen governance and ensure equality before the law. Critics, however, argue they represent a significant expansion of executive authority that could weaken procedural safeguards, narrow the space for political dissent and further centralise state power.

At the heart of the proposed Public Safety Bill are powers that extend well beyond ordinary criminal law.

The legislation would allow preventive detention for up to one year without a criminal conviction, empower the government to confiscate property allegedly linked to organised crime, authorise the externment of individuals from specified districts or regions, and permit the recovery of compensation for damage to public or private property from those accused of participating in violent protests.

Collectively, these provisions would give the executive substantially greater discretion to act before offences are proved in court.

The Bill borrows heavily from legislation already in force in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, both BJP-ruled states........

© National Herald