TNI Bureau: The West Bengal Assembly passed the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, popularly referred to as the Anti-Goonda Bill, with 176 members voting in favour and 41 against. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the law is aimed at curbing organised crime, vandalism and anti-social activities while ensuring compensation is recovered for damage caused to public and private property.

Defending the legislation, Suvendu Adhikari said the government would enforce the law strictly but would not misuse it. He stated that apart from imprisonment, the government would have the power to confiscate the movable and immovable assets of those found responsible for organised violence and property damage.

The Chief Minister said the new law was necessary because existing legal provisions had proved inadequate to tackle organised criminal activities. According to the government, the legislation will provide stronger legal tools to prevent criminal conspiracies, disrupt organised offences and impose stricter punishment on offenders.

During the Assembly debate, CM also announced that the state government would introduce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill. He said a committee headed by a retired judge has already been formed and that the proposed framework would be based on models adopted in Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Assam.

The government has also listed the West Bengal Backward Classes (Other than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) (Reservation of Vacancies in Services and Posts) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes (Amendment) Bill, 2026, for consideration during the current Assembly session.