Kasab's conviction came without anti-terror law: Chidambaram

New Delhi, May 6 (PTI) Rejecting the opposition's demand
for a specific anti-terror law, India's Home Minister P
Chidambaram Thursday said conviction of Ajmal Kasab in Mumbai
attack case proved that present laws were adequate to deal
with the menace.
However, the Indian government is open to "revisit" the
laws if necessary.
Replying to a debate in the Upper House of Parliament on
the functioning of his ministry, Chidambaram said conviction
of Kasab, lone surviving terrorist involved in Mumbai attack
in 2008, was not on the basis of his confession but evidence.
In this context, he said, the amended Unlawful Activities
(Preventions) Act (UAPA) proved adequate for the prosecution
and there was no need for separate provisions, as suggested by
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India's main opposition
party.
"For the present, laws are adequate. They have broad
support of all sections...Let's try these acts. If necessary,
we can always revisit them," he said.
The absence of the provisions in the UAPA, as suggested by
the BJP, did not prevent success of Kasab's trial, the Home
Minister said.
The main Opposition had wanted provisions like
admissibility of confession before a police officer, detention
without trial of an accused for 180 days and denial of bail by
judge if prosecution opposes it.
Chidamabaram said while he has respect for the views of
the BJP, a large sections of the society, particularly
minorities and SCs/STs had rejected these ideas as they feared
their misuse against them.
Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley said though Kasab's
conviction was a landmark event, he was disappointed because
there were several other accused in the case living in
Pakistan and the US from where not much cooperation is
forthcoming.
He said BJP had serious reservations whether the present
laws were enough to face the terror challenge. After such an
enormous crime like the Mumbai attack, "is the Home Minister
willing to introspect whether the present legal infrastructure
is adequate?" (MORE) PTI NAM
RDM


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