J that have hold on the admini-
stration. With this amendment to
R.T.I. act 2005, the B.J.P-N.D.A
government has removed the
salutary effect of the act that
provided some check on wrong
doing by the vested interests.
Another act-the protection of
Human rights act 1993 too has
been amended in these very
parliamentary sessions. This
amendment ensured that only
government’s nominees are
appointed to the National Human
Rights Commissioner.
According to the original
Protection of Human Rights act
1993, “only a person who had been
the C.J.I (Chief Justice of India)
could be made the NHRC chair
person. But the present amend-
ment to the act includes the
provision that apart from a CJI, a
former judge of Supreme Court can
be the chair person of the NHRC.
Thus the present amendment gave
discretionary powers to the
government to pick up the NHRC
chair person. In other words it
paves the way to appointment of
“yes men” on the NHRC.
Yet, another Amendment to
the unlawful activities act 1967 too
has been passed in the present
Parliament sessions. This Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act was
passed by the Indira Gandhi
government. From that time
onwards the successive govern-
ments seeking increased powers to
deal with disaffection amended the
Act to that end. This law was
amended in 2004 by making a
comprehensive anti-terror law that
provided for punishing acts of
terrorism. This act was further
amended in 2008 and 2013 to
strengthen the legal frame work to
combat terror.
But again the UPA government
amended it according to Amit Shah,
the union home minister- to
“smash” any one declared a
Aug,Sep - 2019
terrorist or urban naxalite. The new
anti-terror unlawful activities
(prevention) amendment Act-2019
gives the country’s security
agencies extraordinary power to
name individuals including
suspects as “terrorists” and even
seize their property. This removes
the individual’s right to life and
liberty. The adverse consequences
of terrorist tag causes irreparable
damage to a person’s reputation,
they may be subjected to arrest
and detention even after obtaining
bail from the courts. They may have
their movements restricted besides
carrying the taint. The security
forces will have a free run against
anyone seen as non-conformist
with those running the state.
Our past experience suggests
that more powers to the
investigators means more they will
be misused. Union Home Minister
Amit Shah’s warning that his
government would not spare
terrorists or their sympathisers and
his reference to ‘urban naxalites’
are portentous of every possibility
of misuse of this Act.
A close parallel can be seen
between “sedition” and unlawful
activity as has been apprehended by the former union minister
P.Chidambaram.
When this law was applied to
individuals it will be catastrophic at
the level of his fundamental rights.
Now who speaks against
government can easily be tagged
as ‘terrorists’ and incarcerated
without any trail. The BJP-NDA
government with this amendment
to UPA, has equated anti-
government stand to unlawful and
terrorist activities.
From all these amendments
and Acts a pattern is emerging that
the state is empowering itself to not
only being legally unaccountable
but also is concentrating powers
with itself.
This is nothing but establi-
shing authoritarian regime in our
country and the BJP-NDA
government is resorting to this
misrule, misusing the powers
vested in it.
The absolute powers snatched
by the B.J.P-NDA government
through these undemocratic and
repressive draconian amendments
are certainly anti-people and
authoritarian.
A strong and united people’s
movement
against
these
repressive acts is the need of the
hour!
contd from page 18 ruling-class and by implementing
anti-people policies. This instance
also high-lights the importance of
land question and exposes the
exploitative nature of our semi-
feudal system; and warns about the
immediate necessity to root-out
this abhorrent system!
land owner-ship of private players
like the Patanjali group over our
commons through government
fiat...why should the state
consolidate land at a time when we
are trying to preserve and restore
the ownership of Shahmat land,
including the forested Aravalli to
panchayat?” This statement
speaks volumes about the nexus
between the rulers, governments
and the influenced powerful that
facilitates illegal land acquisitions
by the rich, influential and powerful.
This is a clear-cut instance that
exposes the class-nature of our
system that furthers the interests
of the rich and powerful of the
Read!
Subscribe!
Class Struggle
Contribution: Single Copy- Rs. 15/-
Yearly - Rs. 150/-
For Details:
P.Jaswantha Rao, Editor
32-13-26/1, M.R.Puram,
Vijayawada, pin-520 010.
17