'No technical report with Aprajita Bill': WB Guv slams Mamata govt, Assembly speaker reacts

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has sharply criticized the Mamata Banerjee administration for failing to provide the necessary technical report alongside the recently passed anti-rape Bill. The governor's office claimed that without this report, the Bill cannot be given assent, and expressed disappointment over the state’s recurring failure to follow this procedure.

"This is not the first time that the government has withheld technical reports and blamed Raj Bhavan for not clearing bills," stated a Raj Bhavan official. 

"Bose has pointed out that the (Aparajita) Bill appears to be a copy-paste of similar Bills passed by Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh," he added.

Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee, responding to the governor’s criticism, stated, "The technical report will be sent today. The situation in West Bengal is different from other states, and the governor should pass the Bill without delay." He also urged the governor to take necessary steps, including meeting the President of India, to expedite the process.

Opposition leaders have reportedly been absent from meetings, with Speaker Banerjee expressing frustration over their non-participation. Meanwhile, the governor indicated that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's threat to stage a dharna was a political move intended to mislead the public, as she is aware of similar Bills pending with the President of India.

The West Bengal Assembly recently passed the 'Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024,' which seeks the death penalty for rape convicts in cases where the victim dies or is left in a vegetative state, and life imprisonment without parole for other offenders.