Cabinet clears anti-torture legislation

After a lot of deliberation on the issue,it was decided to bring a piece of standalone legislation so that the Convention could be ratified. Accordingly,a draft Bill,namely the Prevention of Torture Bill,2009,was drafted, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters.

The proposed Bill prescribes a maximum of 10 years in jail for a person found guilty of torture. However,the proposed law will not apply in cases covered by special laws such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Meanwhile,the Cabinet also approved a Rs 1,540-crore modernisation package for Doordarshan and All India Radio,to help these organisations face the growing competition in the broadcasting sector.

This process of digitalisation of DD and AIR will enable people in the remotest of the remote areas to receive higher quality signals, Soni said.