India to have tougher anti-terror laws; LS passes bills

The two bills for setting up a National Investigation Agency (NIA) and amending the law to deal
with terrorism effectively were passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The government asserted that a balance of requirement of law and human rights had been ensured in these measures.

Replying to a five-hour debate on the two bills, Home Minister P Chidambaram sought to allay any apprehensions of misuse of the new tough measures to deal with terrorism, saying there adequate safeguards have been envisioned, including setting up of an independent authority of judicial experts to review cases that are probed and tried.

He emphasised that the amended Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) was very unlike POTA and that the new measures should not be seen from the "communal prism".

Contending that the nation could not afford to "lower its guard" as "eternal vigilance is the price of liberty," he said these measures are aimed at giving a "sense of confidence" to the people as also to the police forces that culprits could not go unpunished.