AAP, Congress slam Punjab government over Crima Act collapse

While the Aam Aadmi Party said the government was scared that the law could be used against its own members if they lose in the Assembly elections, the Congress said the government had lost the will to govern.

Speaking to The Indian Express, AAP spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira said, “Those people who run their own mafia in the state can hardly be expected to pass any law that would control the activities of their henchmen. It is clear that the cabinet ministers got a cold feet over the bill when they realised that its provisions could be attracted by their own supporters when the new government comes to power.”

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The bill was on the agenda when the cabinet meeting was held Tuesday but was dropped and referred back to the Advocate General’s office after there was a consensus among the ministers that the bill may result in a backlash ahead of the assembly elections given its stringent provisions.

The bill is the brainchild of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal who also holds the home portfolio.

Loosely based on the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the PCOCA proposes that confessions made before officials of the rank of Suprentintendent of Police will be admissible in a court of law and that the evidence gathered electronically in the course of investigation by the police will be valid for ten years.

The bill also proposes that an officer of the rank of Deputy Inspector General or above will be authorised to invoke PCOCA after citing adequate reasons as to why the crime cannot be covered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Apart from proposing special trial courts, the bill also moots witness protection programmes and in-camera court proceedings.

Meanwhile, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh questioned the very need to bring in a new law for controlling crime in the state. “You need a firm intent and a strong will to curb the crime and not just the law”, said Amarinder.