Thursday, February 10 2005 15:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Government will soon make public the draft Bill to deal with communal violence and invite suggestions from various sections of the society on the proposed law.

Addressing the Fourth Annual Conference of State Minorities Commissions in New Delhi today (Feb 10, 2005), Home Minister Shivraj Patil said that the draft Bill would be put on the Internet for inviting views of the public.

"We will also hold seminars in at least four different places in the country to seek views and recommendations of the people. We intend to consider the issue in great depth," the Home Minister said.

Patil said that the draft Bill is currently being studied by the Law Ministry, which would be returning it in seven to eight days, after which following consultation with political leaders and intellectuals, it will be put on the Internet.

On the provisions to be made in the Bill, Patil said, "We are considering to provide in the Bill special procedures of investigation and trial through establishment of special courts with powers for summary trials and day-to day hearings."

He said that the legislation might include mandatory provisions for the police to establish centres for recording of FIRs in the affected localities and also in the relief camps wherever set up.

"It is also proposed to make statutory provisions for relief and rehabilitation measures," Patil said.

The findings and recommendations of various Commissions of Inquiry set up by the Union and State Governments as well as those of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), etc have been kept in view while formulating the proposed Bill, he said.

"Such a law would serve as an effective deterrent to the designs of communal groups and remove the false sense of comfort of impunity from prosecution that they seem to enjoy," Patil said.

Opening the conference, National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairman Tarlochan Singh reminded that it had been a long-standing demand of the Commission that a law against communal riots be enacted.

He said that the Commission had organised a meeting of legal experts to prepare recommendations for the Bill and sent the suggestions to the Home Ministry.

During the two-day conference of the State minorities' commissions, discussions will be held on the three issues of communal harmony through dialogue, legislation on communal violence and minorities and education.

Meanwhile, the NCM Chairman lamented that only 15 States had so far constituted State-level minorities' commissions and urged Patil to send an advisory note to States to set them up.

Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar and her deputy in the Ministry Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan also addressed the conference.