Ahmedabad, Feb 15 (PTI) The budget session of the Gujarat assembly will commence on Monday, with Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai slated to present the state budget 2026-27 on February 17, officials said on Sunday.
The 23-day session, comprising 26 sittings, will culminate on March 25, a government release stated.
The 8th session of the 15th assembly will begin with the customary address by Governor Acharya Devvrat, and a condolence motion for state leaders who passed away recently will also be taken up on the same day, officials said.
On the opening day, the House will also elect a new deputy speaker, they said.
BJP MLA Purnesh Modi and Congress legislator Shailesh Parmar have filed nominations for the post, with polling scheduled following the governor’s address.
The election has been necessitated following the resignation of incumbent Jethabhai Bharwad in December last year, citing his “busy schedule”.
With the BJP enjoying an overwhelming majority of 162 members in the 182-member assembly, Surat MLA Modi is expected to win comfortably.
During the session, the state government is slated to introduce the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to make substantial changes to the existing 2015 Act.
As per a copy of the Bill, the amendment proposes the deletion of all references to “terrorism” and “terrorist acts” from the principal Act.
The long title of the law will be modified by removing the words “for prevention and control of terrorist acts”, and several sections, including definitions and penal provisions, will omit references to terrorist acts.
The statement of objects and reasons of the Bill notes that the state had enacted the law “to curb the menace of terrorist acts and organised crimes by making special provisions for prevention and control of terrorist acts and for coping with criminal activities by organised crime syndicates”.
It points out that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, enacted by the Centre, has repealed the Indian Penal Code and introduced revised provisions, “including terrorist acts”.
“The state government, therefore, considers deleting the offences of terrorist acts from the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act, 2015 so that no overlapping in the investigation of the terrorist acts takes place,” the statement says.
The Bill also replaces references to the “Code” with “Sanhita” to align procedural provisions with the new central criminal law framework, making consequential changes in sections dealing with bail, attachment of property, presumption of offences and powers of special courts. PTI PJT PD ARU
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