Parishad's select panel gives nod to UPCOCA bill

LUCKNOW: The select committee of UP's Vidhan Parishad has given its nod to the UP Control of Organised Crime Act (UPCOCA) bill, passed by Assembly on December 17.
Its report is now scheduled to be tabled in the upper house for further discussion. The bill was referred to the committee after it could not get ratified by the legislative council on December 23.

The 11-member committee, headed by CM Adityanath Yogi—he is also a member of Vidhan Parishad—passed the bill without any amendment. The committee also had senior SP MLCs like Naresh Uttam and Balram Yadav as members.
The bill that aims to put an effective check on organised crime, including those related to land and mining, was tabled in the assembly after a nod from the cabinet.

The Samajwadi Party, which has a majority in the upper house, has, however, objected to the committee’s stand. SP legislator Shatrudra Prakash said the committee did not accept the recommendations of the opposition parties for the bill.

“The committee’s recommendations need to be discussed in great detail in the House, which has the final authority to pass the bill,” said Prakash.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, too, had termed the provisions of the bill ‘draconian’. While accusing the ruling BJP of not utilizing existing laws to control the law and order situation in the state, the SP has been slamming the state government over incidents of alleged fake encounters.