Gujarat anti-terror law unconstitutional: Chidambaram
By IANSSunday, February 7, 2010
NEW DELHI - The central government withheld approval to Gujarat’s controversial anti-terror law as it was not in accordance with the “present mind of parliament and the constitution”, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Sunday.
“With great respect to (Gujarat Chief Minister) Narendra Modi, I say that the government of India and the president can give assent to a bill which reflects the last expression of the mind of the parliament,” Chidambaram told reporters after a meeting with state chief ministers on internal security.
The home minister said the draconian anti-terror law POTA was repealed because “Indian parliament and the constitution don’t approve of a confession made before a police officer”.
Similarly, he said, “the present mind of parliament is opposed to the provisions” contained in the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Act (GUJCOCA).
“The law has to reflect the present mind of parliament and constitution and GUJCOCA didn’t reflect that,” he said.
The home minister’s remarks come in the backdrop of Modi critcising the central government’s refusal to give its nod to the president to sign the controversial act passed by the state assembly.
Calling the decision of the central government to return the act as “injustice with Gujarat”, Modi described GUJCOCA as only a Xerox copy of a similar law in Maharashtra.
