New Delhi, March 13
Conceding a major political victory to its increasingly restive allies like the DMK and the MDMK, the Vajpayee government today announced the setting up of a review committee to ensure that provisions under Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) were not misused.
Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani made a suo motu announcement to this effect in the Lok Sabha today.
The POTA Review Committee would be headed by a former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mr A.B. Saharya. Mr Advani said the committee would ensure that the provisions of POTA were invoked for combating terrorism and “are not used against ordinary criminals or those who are not terrorists or whose acts cannot be considered as terrorist acts”.
Other members of the committee would be announced soon.
The committee would be taking a comprehensive view of POTA in various states and give its findings and suggestions for removing shortcomings.
The announcement has come at a time when the DMK is becoming increasingly impatient on the issue and is asking for the release of TNLA leader P. Nedumaran and MDMK leader Vaiko who have been detained under POTA in Tamil Nadu.
Mr Advani said the Centre found the matter to be “serious enough” to warrant invoking of its powers under Section 60 of the Act providing for the formation of one or more review committees following complaints from MPs that the provisions of POTA were being invoked even against persons and acts which did not fall within the ambit of this law.
He justified the need for an Act like POTA saying that it became necessary to put in place such a special law early last year due to the intensification of cross-border terrorism and the continued offensive agenda of the ISI targeted at destabilising India and the post-September 11 developments.
The Act provided the legal framework to strengthen the hands of the administration in the fight against the menace of terrorism and “can and should be applied against such persons and acts as are covered by the provisions of the law and it is not meant as a substitute for action under ordinary criminal laws”, he said.
