Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a major constituent of the ruling DF coalition in Maharashtra, today (May 28, 2004) said it favoured scrapping the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

"The NCP is of the view that stringent acts like POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) and MCOCA should be done away with," party's State unit chief R R Patil, who is also the Maharashtra Home Minister, told reporters at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai.

Patil claimed that the decision has not been taken at the Government level and he cannot make such a statement in his capacity as a Home Minister, since the session of the State legislature is on.

The senior NCP leader said the party has already passed a resolution to review both POTA and MCOCA.

His statement came in the backdrop of Common Minimum Programme of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre, recommending scrapping POTA. NCP is also a constituent of the ruling coalition at the Centre.

However, Patil said he is of the view that there are chances of "misuse" of strict laws like MCOCA and POTA, since they gave enormous powers to officials at lower level.

The party is of the view that such acts, providing "unlimited powers to officials at lower levels" should be reviewed, Patil said.

The sources in the Home Ministry stated that the decision would have to be taken by the State Cabinet. They indicated that a high-level committee would look into the matter.