With an aim to tackle organised crime in the state, the government introduced Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Bill on the floor of the state Assembly on Wednesday.
Speaking to the media at her official residence here, chief minister Mayawati said, “The roots of organised crime in the state are very deep an effective Act is needed for curbing, controlling and trampling them”. The proposed Act would deal chiefly with contract killers, kidnappers, gun-toting contractors, hawala traders and enemies of economic structure of the country, producers of spurious drugs and liquors, smugglers, mafia etc, she added. The Act will also curb the display of firearms in public places as a means of creating terror in the minds of the people. Once the Bill is passed, it would be named as UPCOCA.
Tabling the Bill, minister for Parliamentary affairs Lalji Verma said the Bill was necessitated as existing legal provisions appear to be inadequate to tackle and control organised crime.
Under the provisions of the Bill, the government would not provide police security to members of the crime syndicate whose list would be kept at police stations, a move seen as the government’s attempt to withdraw security to politicians with criminal antecedents.
The Bill provides for imposition of a minimum fine of Rs 5 lakh and imprisonment of five years or up to life. In the event of repeated crime after life term, capital punishment can be awarded besides imposing a fine of Rs 10 lakh.
Besides, provision has also been made to accord top priority to the hearing of the case under the UPCOCA. “The cases will be heard every day in special courts so that justice is not delayed and people get a bhay-mukt samaj,” Mayawati said.