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Updated December 1st, 2019 at 15:56 IST

Controversial Gujarat terrorism bill to be implemented from today

Gujarat government's controversial Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GCTOC) Act will come into implementation in the state from November 1

Reported by: Priyanka Sharma
Gujarat
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The controversial Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GCTOC) Act will come into implementation from November 1. The bill was incepted back in 2004 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Since 2004, the bill has been tabled before the president but has been turned down thrice. In 2015 the Gujarat State government amended and renamed the bill from GUJCOC (Gujarat Control of Organised Crime) to Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime GCTOC.

The investigative agencies are mainly thrilled from the implementation of the bill as the bill will allow a lot of ease to the officials. The three-pronged landmark decisions that this bill will allow are intercepting, recorded telephonic conversation and confessions made by criminals in front of Police officers to be admissible as legitimate evidence in the court of law. Apart from this, there will be special courts and special public prosecutors who will be appointed to fast track the procedure of punishing the involved criminals.

READ | London Bridge attacker Usman Khan had Pak-link; Indian-origin cop led anti-terror op

Former UPA government had called the bill ‘undemocratic’ and ‘draconian'

Initially, a lot of controversies revolved around the bill, where the opposition and the then UPA Government had classified the bill as ‘undemocratic’ and ‘draconian’. Specifically, due to the contents of the bill which allow intercepted and recorded telephonic conversations as legitimate evidence in the court of law. Apart from that, the state Congress officials also stated that during interrogation, the accused could be under duress and a forceful confession could be taken out of him which would then become legitimate evidence.

While talking to Republic TV, a Congress leader said, “This is a very undemocratic and really backward bill. This will hamper justice and verifiable investigation of the Police officers.” 

While the current government was celebrating the bill and claimed that this will help in fast-tracking the process of arresting and investigating the criminals indulging in the various criminal activities. Particularly, this bill will help in arresting, investigating and proving them in court to be guilty in activities of cybercrime, human trafficking, Ponzi schemes, terrorism funding, etc.

“This was a dream of Narendra Modi and today it has come true. He wanted to make the process more transparent and more illegal networks to be exposed by our investigating forces. This bill will allow for that,” Pradipsinh Jadeja, Gujarat government's Minister of Home said.

READ |UAPA BILL EXPLAINED: How & why it is the strongest version of the anti-terror bill yet

READ | Gujarat: Fake notes of Rs 1 cr face value seized, five arrested

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Published December 1st, 2019 at 14:33 IST

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