Overview
- The Maharashtra government announced on Saturday that it has, for the first time, applied the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act to cases of cow smuggling, illegal cattle transport and unlawful slaughterhouses.
- Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the step targets organised networks and insisted the invocation will withstand legal scrutiny and be used against repeat offenders.
- The decision drew partisan responses with BJP figures praising the crackdown on slaughter and smuggling while AIMIM spokespeople criticised the timing and selective enforcement.
- Officials also highlighted El Nino risks for the coming kharif season and said the state has accelerated water‑conservation works under the Jalyukt Shivar programme and equipped district administrations to manage likely impacts.
- Legal experts and rights groups should be watched for court challenges because MCOCA is a stringent organised‑crime law whose expansion to cattle offences raises questions about scope, enforcement and civil‑liberties protections.