The Union law ministry is learnt to be re-drafting ?crucial? clauses of the proposed Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of victims) Bill.
The move comes after UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote to law minister M Veerappa Moily, asking him to include more stringent clauses in the proposed Bill to ensure that incidents of communal violence as witnessed in the past are not repeated. She is also learnt to have suggested that the Bill have a comprehensive definition of communal violence and what constitutes it.
While law ministry officials were tight-lipped on the exact contents of Sonia?s letter, it is learnt that she perceived some clauses of the proposed Bill as weak.
Along with her letter, Sonia has also forwarded to the ministry representations submitted to her by NGOs that are opposed to the proposed Bill in its present form.
Opponents of the proposed Bill, which was cleared by the Cabinet in December last year, have argued that it would be unable to effectively check outbreak of communal violence and punish those responsible for it.
Some organisations have also opposed the Bill on the ground that it does not make police, administration or state authorities accountable for outbreak of communal violence and the failure to control it. They have demanded that the Centre and its agencies be given powers to intervene in such a situation without waiting for the state government to make a request for the same.
Pointing out that the Indian Penal Code doesn?t have adequate clauses to deal with perpetrators of communal violence, the NGOs have demanded that the proposed Bill cover crimes and offences that come under the definition of communal violence.
The NGOs also want a national authority to prevent communal violence and punish its perpetrators. This authority, preferably the NHRC, will have the power to declare an area where communal clashes have broken out as internally disturbed and bring it under its control. It will also have the power to order investigation, prosecution and monitor trial of those responsible by a special court.
As first reported by The Indian Express, the proposed Bill is substantially different from the version that was introduced in Parliament in November 2005 but was later withdrawn.
On March 31, home minister P Chidambaram, while saying he was hopeful the proposed Bill would be passed before year-end, had indicated that the government was open to amending it.
Opponents of the proposed Bill have recently held meetings with Moily and senior home ministry officials to explain their position.