BJP lauds new anti-terrorism bill introduced in T.N. - The Times of India

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The Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act 1998, introduced in
the Tamil Nadu state legislature, elicited a happy response 'from
the state BJP, while the human rights groups have condemned it as
a repetition of the withdrawn TADA Act.

In a statement the state BJP General Secretary L. Ganesan
welcoming the Act said that it is, though belated, is a step in
the right direction.

Calling for a speedy trial by the proposed special court, Mr
Ganesan said that all cases, right from the attack on Jana
Krishnamurthy in Coimbatore in 1982 should be transferred to the
special court. He expressed the hope that the government will
implement the Act in a proper way and put an end to terrorism in
the state.

Terming the Anti Terrorist bill as an attempt by the state
government to appease the BJP-led government at the centre, the
Pondicherry and the state units of the Peoples Union for civil
Liberties (PUCL) said that the Act was a repetition of TADA which
was allowed to lapse by the central government after the constant
efforts of the human rights groups in the country.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, the PUCL urged the state
government to withdraw the bill in the larger interest and
welfare of the state. It also reasoned that the existing panel
laws were sufficient to contain all violence and crime. "This Act
is against the fundamental principles of criminal jurisprudence.
Denying the rights of bail, anticipatory bail, admitting
confessions to police as evidence, prolonged police custody and
granting upto a year's time for filing chargesheet are all
against the spirit of criminal law," the statement observed.

The Act, it said, would assist in further custodial violence and
abuses and alienate the minorities from the mainstream society.

The Coimbatore blasts in February 14 last and pressures that
followed thereafter has finally forced the state government to
pass the bill, which has many provisions similar to that of the
TADA.

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