Shouldn8217;t babus8217; heads roll too, asks Pawar

NCP leader Sharad Pawar raised the question that as politicians have been punished for Mumbai attack, what about bureaucrats occupying accountable positions.

The Cabinet cleared the federal agency and tougher amendments to the existing law to tackle terror but was learnt to have unanimously rejected the proposal for a tough new anti-terror law seeking provisions for unlimited detention.

The Cabinet put on hold an 8220;open proposal8221; for a tough terror law put forth by Home Minister Chidamabaram to signal the Centre8217;s seriousness on countering terrorism. The proposal, which sought unlimited detention, did not find favour with a majority of the ministers including Pranab Mukherjee and Law Minister H. R. Bhardwaj.

The Home Minister, sources said, was asked to 8220;refine8221; and bring a revised proposal factoring in the concerns raised by most Cabinet members.

UPA allies Lalu Prasad Yadav and Ramvilas Paswan Lalu are learnt to have made it clear that any new law should not have two provisions: one, putting the onus on the accused to prove his innocence, and, two, allowing confessions before the police to be used as evidence, both of which were part of POTA.

Mukherjee and Bhardwaj acknowledged their concerns. 8220;There have been instances of misuse of similar kind of provisions and thereby we should be careful8221;, Mukherjee was learnt to have said. Bhardwaj added: 8220;I doubt whether some of the provisions will be acceptable in the court.8221;

Some ministers were learnt to have suggested whether similar tough measures could be incorporated by amending some existing laws by adding appropriately defined 8220;terrorist acts8221; under their ambit. After patiently hearing out these suggestions, Chidambaram reportedly assured them that their suggestions would be incorporated.

It was only after this that NCP leader Sharad Pawar raised the issue of bureaucrats being held accountable with politicians. 8220;Politicians have been punished for the Mumbai terror attack but what about bureaucrats occupying accountable positions? Don8217;t they own responsibility? Why have they not been taken to task?8221; Pawar asked in the presence of National Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan and Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta at the meeting.

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Pawar8217;s demand found support from many Cabinet colleagues that led Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to direct the Cabinet Secretary to take note of it. The Cabinet Secretary is heading a probe into possible intelligence lapses.

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan had also raised this issue at the all-party meeting convened by the Prime Minister after the Mumbai terror attack and CPM MP Mohammad Salim pointed it out during the debate over terror in the Lok Sabha.