The proposed Communal Violence Protection bill will arm the state governments and the judiciary with more powers to deal with the perpetrators of violence and take stern action against the guilty.
The proposed bill would enable the government to nab those spreading violence and rehabilitate the victims in quick time, Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal said in Lucknow Friday.
He said that until now the centre could only use Article 355 and 356 of the Constitution when communal violence erupted, but with the passege of the bill it will have more powers to send forces in the affected areas to control the violence.
"We do not want to dismiss the state governments on the ground of communal violence. That should be the last resort," he told reporters in Lucknow.
"Once the bill comes into effect, the special courts could quickly take stern action against the guilty," he said adding, that it would be the responsibility of the state governments to ensure that violence did not spread or else they should be ready to face the consequences.
Jaiswal said the bill is in the final stages of its preparation, but before being introduced in Parliament, most probably in the Budget session, the government would elicit opinion of various sections of the society.
"We will hold seminars at major metropolitan cities in the country and invite intellectuals from media, advocates, academicians and others to give their views on how to make the bill complete in all respect," the minister said.
He said Prime Minster Manmohan Singh and the Home Ministry was in favour of more discussions on the draft bill.
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