The previous UPA government which passed the UAPA Bill in a knee-jerk response to the Mumbai terror attack has acted judiciously this time, by calling for amends to some draconian features of GUJCOCA. By placing extensive powers in the hands of police officers and public prosecutors, the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat has sought to undermine the fundamental right of an arrested person to defend himself/herself. How can the admissions made to a police officer be treated as evidence in a court of law? It is anyone’s guess that admissions can be extracted by coercive tactics. That the say of a public prosecutor in granting bail to a detainee is sacrosanct which can even surpass the authority of the judge is absurd. The proposal for extending pre-trial detention from 90 days to 180 days smacks of mockery to natural justice.
Syed Sultan Mohiddin
Kadapa. A.P.