CHANDIGARH: Following year-long protests and growing outcry, the Punjab government finally withdrew two highly controversial bills, on the final day of the last session of the present assembly, marking victory of public organizations and human rights groups.
One of the bills, titled the Punjab (Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property) Bill, 2010, had a controversial clause, which infringed upon the individual's fundamental right to peaceful protest. The other bill, titled The Punjab Special Security Group Bill, 2010, was labelled as "draconian" by constitutional experts, who objected to its clause related to the all-encompassing definition of 'anti-national force'. Both were passed on November 1, 2010.
The TOI had highlighted the objectionable clauses of both the bills on the day they were tabled in the assembly. The Congress had raised the issue and staged a walkout, demanding withdrawal of the clauses, but the ruling MLAs hailed the bills and passed them in the absence of the opposition members.
Apparently, the appropriate authorities - the Punjab governor in the case of bills related to state list, and the President in the case of concurrent list - refused to clear the bills during the last one year, which forced the government to withdraw them. On Saturday, the assembly agenda clearly stated that "assent was still awaited on the bills".
However, deputy CM and home minister Sukhbir Badal, who had introduced the bills last year and asked them to be withdrawn on Saturday, explained, "A false public propaganda was created that the bills were anti-public. We want to settle peoples' apprehensions and so the bills are being withdrawn. We will remove the objectionable portions and introduce them in the form of ordinance."
One of the bills, titled the Punjab (Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property) Bill, 2010, had a controversial clause, which infringed upon the individual's fundamental right to peaceful protest. The other bill, titled The Punjab Special Security Group Bill, 2010, was labelled as "draconian" by constitutional experts, who objected to its clause related to the all-encompassing definition of 'anti-national force'. Both were passed on November 1, 2010.
The TOI had highlighted the objectionable clauses of both the bills on the day they were tabled in the assembly. The Congress had raised the issue and staged a walkout, demanding withdrawal of the clauses, but the ruling MLAs hailed the bills and passed them in the absence of the opposition members.
Apparently, the appropriate authorities - the Punjab governor in the case of bills related to state list, and the President in the case of concurrent list - refused to clear the bills during the last one year, which forced the government to withdraw them. On Saturday, the assembly agenda clearly stated that "assent was still awaited on the bills".
However, deputy CM and home minister Sukhbir Badal, who had introduced the bills last year and asked them to be withdrawn on Saturday, explained, "A false public propaganda was created that the bills were anti-public. We want to settle peoples' apprehensions and so the bills are being withdrawn. We will remove the objectionable portions and introduce them in the form of ordinance."
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