SHIMLA: Member of Parliament Sunil Dutt had demanded withdrawal of all cases under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention) Act and scrapping of TADA course to ensure justice to thousands of people Languishing in Jails without proper trial.
Dult, who had come here to inaugurate the international conference on “Cancer Update 1995” here, said that there was no justification of continuing the TADA courts after the draconian Act had been repealed.
He said the existing laws of the land were enough to deal with any type of crime and as such all TADA accused should be tried in accordance with the ordinary law. ‘The TADA, which was meant for curbing terrorism, had been grossly misused and thousands of people were detained in States like Gujarat and Maharashtra where there was no secessionist movement and organized militancy in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
Despite the Act, militancy had increased and its misuse in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir had provoked the youth to take militancy in retaliation, he added.
Describing the Section 14 of TADA as absurd, he asked what was the use of repealing the Act if the persons aggrieved by it did not get relief and continued to cry for justice.
He said chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Justice Ranganath Mishra had clearly said that TADA was not a valid Act for any civilized democracy and if the Government ignored the protest of its own Commission, it would grossly undermine its sanctity.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 16, 1995
