Govt may find going tough on terror law

NEW DELHI: In the wake of continuing terror attacks in the country, the UPA government has mooted a "tougher-than-Pota" law.

Although the recommendation has come from the Administrative Reforms Commission, the timing of its release — when the government is struggling to shake off a "soft on terror" tag its rivals have sought to pin to it and ahead of state polls — is seen to be loaded with significance.

Implementation of the law is not going to be easy because the Congress has not just opposed Pota, it has campaigned for its repeal. It will also have to contend with allies who remain opposed to a special anti-terror law. More crucially, special terror laws have been a fraught issue evoking strong negative vibes from the minority community, which has maintained that these have been used to frame innocents.

The declaration of intent on a special terror law at this juncture, however, ties in well with the government's political needs. Among other things, the BJP cites the repeal of Pota to accuse the government of lacking the will to fight terrorism.

Moily claimed that the neither Pota nor state legislation like Mococa were comprehensive and intrinsically strong to fight terror. The Law Commission had backed the case for a special law to deal with terrorism.

The government let on that for the past few weeks Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has had a close look at the anti-terror legal framework proposed by the Administrative Reforms Commission. This appears to signal a shift from the government's earlier position on any special anti-terror law.

Releasing the report, ARC chairman Veerappa Moily told mediapersons that the proposed law would give the agencies necessary powers to take on terrorists, and dry up their money routes. "At the same time, we have provided a network of accountability in this stand-alone law," Moily said.

He said the law — worked out through a long process of consultations with experts — would make the bail provisions for an accused stringent and provide for a longer detention period. It would also provide for confessions before police to be admissible in court.

The ARC pointed out that the legal provisions to deal with terrorism could be incorporated in a separate chapter of the National Security Act. As for safeguards against misuse, a review committee would review cases of those in custody within 30 days of registration, the report said.

source : times of india