Vajpayee’s word holds hope for TADA accused

MUMBAI, March 30: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's announcement promising a review of all cases filed under the Terrorist and Disruptiv...

MUMBAI, March 30: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s announcement promising a review of all cases filed under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) in the country has raised the hopes of the accused in the Mumbai serial blasts case.

Vajpayee’s televised statement today follows an appeal by the TADA accused when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government took over at the Centre earlier this month. Advocate Majeed Memon, defending the largest number of undertrials in the blasts case, lauded Vajpayee’s statement saying that as a follower of human rights, the prime minister had taken cognisance of the hardship of the TADA accused, who were still reeling under the draconian and dead TADA laws.

"It is rightly pointed out that the law has been struck down for being unreasonable and being grossly misused way back in 1996. The TADA laws emphasise the presumption of guilt rather than presumption of innocence,"Memon pointed out.

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Fifty-nine of the undertrials in the 1993 blasts case,booked under TADA, are still in the Arthur Road prison, having been denied bail. Fifty-one of them today addressed a letter to both the prime minister and Union Home Minister L K Advani, conveying their gratitude.

On March 22, when the BJP-led government took over at the Centre, the undertrials wrote to the prime minister urging a review of their cases.

"The demolishers of the Babri Masjid were not booked under TADA, while the alleged retaliators have been forced to undergo trauma under this draconian law," the blasts accused have pleaded.

Their 13-page letter claims that "the blasts case are more political than criminal. We know your party did not promise any such thing (relief to the undertrials). However, suo-moto doing such thing will win the heart and soul of every Indian Muslims," the letter concludes.

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Vajpayee’s announcement is also viewed by a section of people as an attempt to steal the thunder from the Samajwadi Party (SP), whose election plank centered around the TADA detenues. However,Mumbai’s SP leaders, including Abu Asim Azmi, have welcomed Vajpayee’s announcement with equal zeal.

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