Date: 2025-07-04Category: Not ApplicableState: MaharashtraCountry: India
Part V, Ext. No. 59, L. A. BILL No. XLVII OF 2025
A Bill to provide for prohibition of advertisements and boarding which tend to instigate sexual offences in the State of Maharashtra Friday, 4th July 2025.
This document is the Legislative Assembly Bill No. XLVII of 2025, published on Friday, July 4, 2025 (Ashadh 13, Shake 1947), as Extraordinary Number 59 of the Maharashtra Government Gazette. The bill aims to prohibit advertisements and hoardings that instigate sexual offenses in the State of Maharashtra. It targets magazines, periodicals, social media, and websites that feature content likely to deprave or corrupt, including depictions of women that promote teasing, rape, or other sexual offenses. The bill proposes to ban such content and penalizes those who create, display, sell, or distribute it.
Penalties include imprisonment up to five years and a fine up to ten thousand rupees for the first offense, and imprisonment up to ten years and a fine up to fifty thousand rupees for subsequent offenses. Offences under section 3 are cognizable. The bill also includes provisions for public awareness campaigns and empowers the State Government to make rules to implement the Act, subject to publication in the Official Gazette. Any rules made shall be laid before each House of the State Legislature and may be amended or rejected by both Houses. The bill extends to the entire State of Maharashtra and will come into effect on a date to be determined by the State Government through notification in the Official Gazette.
The Bill grants authority to the State Government to determine the date of commencement and empowers the State Government to make rules for carrying out the purposes of the Act.
The document was printed by Rupendra Dinesh More, Director of Government Printing, Stationery and Publication, at the Government Central Press, 21-A, Netaji Subhash Road, Charni Road, Mumbai 400 004.
Key Entities Referenced
Maharashtra: The state where the proposed law will be applicable.
L. A. BILL No. XLVII OF 2025: The Legislative Assembly Bill number proposing the prohibition of advertisements and boarding that instigate sexual offenses.
Maharashtra Legislative Assembly: The legislative body that introduced the bill.
Government Official Gazette: The official publication where rules under the act and its effective date will be notified.
Maharashtra Legislative Council: The other legislative body in Maharashtra where the bill was presented.