India government plans to repeal some 300 "colonial" laws but forgets the people
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - An estimated 300 laws adopted under British rule are to be repealed in India in a landmark legislative sweep.
India's Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is leading the mission to remove obsolete and obscure laws, some of which "are laughable," a colonial legacy that "have no place in a modern and democratic India."
However, the plan by India's central government has sparked some criticism from civil society groups.
Arun Ferreira, a political activist jailed for four years on false charges during which he endured torture in prison, told AsiaNews that "these laws are being repealed in the interest of big capital."
The current government, he explained, "came to power with the support of large multinational companies, which are very interested in pursuing globalisation" and "make India more investment friendly".
However, "the government is silent on the abolition of laws that are detrimental to people's interests, such as Section 124 A of the Penal Code or the archaic Indian Prison Act," the activist said. "This shows clearly on whose side the government stands."
Section 124 A (on sedition) is often used inappropriately by the authorities, whilst the 1894 Indian Prison Act has not been changed and is one of the most obsolete pieces of legislation in the country. Calls for its revision have been made several times, especially to improve the living conditions of the prisoners.
Lenin Raghuvanshi, Dalit activist and head of the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), agrees with Ferreira.
"We need India to ratify the UN Convention against Torture, signed in 1997, and for the National Police Commission (NPC) to upgrade its work," he told AsiaNews.
Established in 1977, the NPC is responsible for supervising the national police and enact measures to "prevent the abuse of power" by police.
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