AMN
Gujarat Assembly today again passed Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organized Crime Bill, which failed to get Presidential assent thrice since 2004.
The new bill still retains some of the controversial provisions of earlier bill. Minister of state for Home Mr. Rajnikant Patel today introduced the bill in the house and it was passed by a majority vote amidst walk out by opposition congress members.
Replying to the long debate- Mr. Patel called the bill as a need of the hour. Congress said that the bill is the same as before and only nomenclature has been changed. The bill, which is on the lines of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Terrorism and Organized Crime Act was earlier rejected three times by the President.
They had suggested some amendments in the provisions related to telephone interception and confession made before police officer being considered as evidence in court.
During the voting on the bill after the long debate, the leader of Opposition Congress party- Shankarsinh Waghela has said that that the bill has nothing to do with the security of the people and it aims to protect only BJP and its Government.
In the new bill, the government has retained the provision related to confession made before a police officer. It is proposed that the officer should be of Superintendent of Police -SP or above rank. Another contentious provision is the admissibility of evidence collected through intercepted calls of the accused. This provision empowers the police to intercept calls and admit it as evidence in the court.