The Rajasthan assembly on Tuesday passed a bill to ensure strict action against organised crime, with provisions for life imprisonment or even capital punishment on the death of a victim and a minimum five-year prison term for sheltering gang members.
The Rajasthan Control of Organized Crime Bill, 2023, which was passed by a voice vote, also seeks to impose a minimum fine of ₹1 lakh in the case of the death of a victim. The minimum five-year prison term for sheltering gangsters may extend to life imprisonment, according to the provisions of the proposed law.
Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat already have laws against organised crime.
While tabling the bill in the House, parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal said a study of crime trends during the last decade revealed a shift in their patterns in the state. Earlier, heinous crimes such as murder, dacoity, robbery, kidnapping and extortion were committed by individuals acting alone or in concert, but the last decade witnessed a rise in organised crime in Rajasthan, he added.
“Rajasthan will be the fourth state in the country to enact such a law. In the past, such laws have been implemented in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat,” Dhariwal said.
{{/usCountry}}“Rajasthan will be the fourth state in the country to enact such a law. In the past, such laws have been implemented in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat,” Dhariwal said.
{{/usCountry}}The minister said that under section 28 of the bill, the high court will have powers to make rules regarding special courts and under section 29, the state government will be able to make rules to implement the purposes of the bill.
He also said that under section 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the state government can enact special procedural laws, under which this bill has been brought.
Leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore said: “Had the government been serious about such crimes, they would have brought the bill in the initial years of forming the government.”
Besides this bill, the assembly also passed the Rajasthan Prison Bill, 2023 to the arrangements for prisoners lodged in jails.
Meanwhile, the government tabled the Rajasthan Public Examination (amendment) Bill, 2023 that seeks life sentences for those involved in paper leaks.
The Minimum Guarantee Income Bill 2023 and the Honour of Dead Body Bill, 2023 were also introduced in the House.
The ongoing monsoon session is the last before the state goes to the polls later this year.