Govt determined to introduce bill on communal violence

Govt determined to introduce bill on communal violence

The Govt has said it is "determined" to introduce the communal violence bill in order to bring about a polity in the country which is "fair" and "just" towards all sections of the society.

"This is a very serious issue. Our Government is determined to take it (the Bill) forward, because we don't want any state government not to be accountable to the kind of things that have happened in the past, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday.

The Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, drafted by the National Advisory Council headed by Sonia Gandhi, was put in the public domain on Thursday. The NAC has invited suggestions on the draft bill by 4th June.

Sibal said that with the Bill, the Government also wants to ensure that in "certain situation we can make Governments and individuals accountable".

Signifying the importance of the Bill, he said there are instances in the country where certain sections of the community have been targeted and nine years have lapsed to decide which court should take up the matter and should be accused.

"We want to make sure that if we are talking about a polity which is just and fair, we need to protect all sections of the society," he said.

When his attention was drawn to BJP leader Arun Jaitley's observations about the Bill, Sibal said those issues could be discussed at the Standing Committee after the Bill is referred to it for being placed in the House.

In an article put on BJP website, Jaitley has feared the Bill will intrude into the domain of the state.

Sibal also expressed hope that the Lokpal Bill will be introduced in the coming Monsoon session of Parliament, stating that the dialogue process will be completed by 30th June.

"The proceedings are going on constructively and I must say that in an atmosphere..it instills confidence that we will be able to achieve it," he said.

He said all views including the recommendations of the NAC and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's position will be taken into account before the Bill is placed in Parliament.