Shakeel justifies non-clearance to Raj-Guj special laws

Jaipur, Aug 19(UNI) Union Minister of state for Home Shakeel Ahmed today justified Centre's non-clearance to the proposed special laws demanded by Rajasthan and Gujarat Governments for dealing with organised crimes including terrorism-related violence, saying the new laws proposed by these two governments were more stringent than Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).

Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Ahmed said, "The Bills sent by the BJP-led Rajasthan and Gujarat Governments are more stringent than POTA and keeping in view the track record of the BJP-led governments, those laws cannot be allowed".

Terming POTA as a failed law, the Minister justified the UPA Government's step to revoke the law and said, ''We came in power with people's mandate for revocation of the law which was misused in a large number of cases".

Mr Ahmed said 99 per cent of the cases in POTA were lodged against a community and people aged between eight to eighty years were made accused in those cases.

Stating that only laws could not tackle a situation, he said what mattered was the flawless investigation and effective prosecution.

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