Tamil Nadu Assembly introduces Bill to amend Goondas Act

S. Regupathy introduced the Bill in the Assembly. File
| Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj

The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday (April 26, 2025) introduced a Bill in the Assembly to amend the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Cyber Law Offenders, Drug Offenders, Forest Offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders, Sand Offenders, Sexual Offenders, Slum-Grabbers and Video Pirates Act, 1982.

Though the Bill bore the name of Electricity, Prohibition and Excise Minister V. Senthilbalaji, who was present in the House, Law Minister S. Regupathy introduced it in the Assembly.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, in 2024-25, announced in the Assembly that the Act (Tamil Nadu Act 14 of 1982) would be amended suitably to control the activities of persons committing economic offences.

Biomedical waste rules

Explaining the need to amend the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, under the Tamil Nadu Act 14 of 1982, the Bill also recalled the observation of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court that it was time to book the violators of the Rules.

The Bill also pointed out the grave risks posed by biomedical waste to public health and environment, and complaints about the dumping of such waste in Tamil Nadu from neighbouring States.

The Bill said certain consequential amendments were required since the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Central Act XLV of 1860) and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2 of 1974) were repealed and re-enacted as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act 45 of 2023) and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act 46 of 2023), respectively.