NEW DELHI: Speakers at an anti TADA seminar, on May 20, strongly ‘opposed the government initiative to replace the draconian TADA with a new law, saying that general law procedures had the teeth required to tackle terrorist” and disruptive designs. “The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, ‘Mulayam Singh Yadav, Arjun Singh, leader of the parallel Congress, and a Janata Dal leader, Ram Vilas Paswan, were prominent among those who spoke at the seminar.

Yadav announced that the state government would not enforce the new law, replacing TADA, if the choice was left with the state government, the way it was done with TADA.

He said that there was no logic in amending the criminal law as general procedures were enough to book “‘terrorist” and disruptive clemencies,

The leaders were speaking, here, at the second AllIndia convention against TADA, organized by All India Milli Council and Peoples Movement of India.

‘Arjun Singh expressed concern over ‘he deteriorating ethics in implementing legal procedures by enforcing ‘agencies and said, a high power commission be constituted to probe the ‘misuse of TADA in the country ever ‘Since its inception in the 1985. He ‘emphasized the need to eck as individual’s freedom and property father than harassing any one through buch acts.

Ram Vilas Paswan, member of the Parliament standing committee, debating the criminal law amendment bill, said that there was no reason to bring forward another act to replace TADA, saying that 80,000 persons had been booked under TADA, called it ridiculous and demanded an in-depth probe into its misuse.

Meanwhile, former Congress legal cell chairman, Lalit Bhasin, has said that allowing TADA to lapse would not take away the vice from which the draconian law suffers.

What would happen to those who have already become victims of the abuse of this law,” Bhasin wondered in a statement, here. A retrospective repeal of TADA is required so that all the victims of this law can get justice and relief,” Bhasin pleaded.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 26, 1995