Congress leaders from Gujarat met President Pranab Mukherjee and requested him not to give his nod to the controversial anti-terror law passed by Gujarat Assembly despite walkout of the Opposition party. The party has expressed apprehensions that there are chances of misusing the Bill against innocent people.
The delegation consisting of Ahmed Patel, political secretary to the Congress president, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Bharatsinh Solanki and leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela as well as MlAs of the party met the President and requested him to reject the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Bill, 2015 (GCTOC).
GCTOC was passed by the Assembly in March this year and has been approved by the Governor of Gujarat. It has been sent to the Centre for further approval from Union Home Ministry and the President of India. The delegation submitted a memorandum to the President on the contentious measure alleging that the BJP was playing politics through the measure.
In the past also the Bill was introduced as the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Bill (GUJCOC) in 2003 by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The same Bill with different name is having most of the provisions like empowering police to tap telephonic conversations and submit them in court as evidence, said the Congress leaders.
“The Bill makes confessions made before the police admissible in court and empowers law enforcing authorities to intercept and record phone calls as evidence. It also provides for extension of the period of investigation from stipulated 90 days to 180 days. Further, it makes offences under GCTOC a non-bailable offence. The Bill puts the onus of proving his/her innocence on the accused,” claims the Congress.
The State Government has been pitching for the law contending that the present Acts have limitations to deal with organised crime and terror activities. The original GUJCOC Bill, which was on the lines of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was rejected in 2004 and 2008 by then President APJ Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil respectively who had suggested some amendments in the provisions related to telephone interception and confession made before police officer being considered as evidence in court.