NEW DELHI: Despite wanting the “draconian” Tada law to go “lock, stock and barrel,” the National Human. Rights Commission chairman (NHRC), Ranganath Mishra’s statement that Tada could be continued in are formed manner, after May 23, has raised hackles, and seemingly goes against NHRC’s earlier stand on the law. Justice Mishra comments to a news agency that if the government faced difficulties in ending Tada “in to,” then certain “obnoxious” provisions could be taken away has surprised anti Tada activists, His comments were reportedly aired on Doordarshan news.

More, his view contradicts earlier ‘comments made by him that even if the government took out “mischievous portions,” Tada would still remain “suspect Justice Mishra has been on record saying that Tada cannot be “touched up.”

Justice (Retd) V.M. Tarakunde, prominent civil right activist, expressed surprised at the NHRC chiefs statement and said it was “unfortunate” that the official rights body chairman felt that if the government did not repeal Tada, the Act could be the chairman’s statement coming, when just barely a week before Tada is set to lapse before Parliament made campaigners against Tada income for tables NHRC’s demand for the complete repeal of Tada had boosted the stir against the widely decried Act. Tariq Anwar, chairman of Congress (I) Minorities Cell, which is leading the ruling party’s charge against the law, said, “I do not agree with him and do not know the reason why he has said this, NHRC’s stance has always been for the complete repeal of Tada.” Sources in NHRC say Justice Mishra was quoted out of context and that the total repeal of Tada continues to be his (and NHRC’s) position. However, it is for the first time that the commission as spoken of NHRC accepting a softer version of Tada, I the government did not strike the law of the statute books. Further, with the NHRC chief having stated earlier that “Tada abuses the dignity of the individual and ‘mith ‘gates against the spirit of the Constitution,” his latest comment is being seen as “backtracking” by some. “When it comes to the crunch, NHRC will not stick to its earlier position,” says Rajinder Puri, of the Peoples Movement of India.

However, how NHRC ac is as the deadline 10 May 23 comes closer will be closely watched.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 19, 1995