False terror charges on muslims a cause of concern: Law Minister

Shedding light on an issue which has brought pain and angst to millions of muslims around the world, Union Law and justice DV Sadananda Gowda on Tuesday said he is concerned about false terror charges slapped on Muslim youths that are followed by acquittals due to lack of evidence across the country. He also pointed out that the government is working day in and day out to work out legal reforms to tackle this situation. Gowda, here for the 'Vikas Parv' celebrations to mark two years of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the centre, said, & quot Cases of arrest of Muslim youths on false terror charges are a matter of concern. We are thinking of bringing in changes. The law commission is working on a report in this matter to bring about reforms in criminal procedure, bail, prosecution lapses, etc. A Supreme Court judge is the chairperson of a panel preparing the report, and there are other legal experts who are helping in preparing this report, and it is being worked upon.& quot The law and justice minister was answering to the media when he was questioned on the topic of rising instances of false terror charges against Muslim youths and the problems of rehabilitation they face after their acquittal. Gowda's remarks on the thorny subject have come barely a week after home minister Rajnath Singh remarked that & quot the government has settled for a calibrated approach to terror investigations, advising police to adopt a more sophisticated approach, including de-radicalization strategies, rather than necessarily prosecuting all suspects& quot . Singh had then gone on to point out how the Delhi Police had recently released seven of the 10 suspects held for their alleged involvement in a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror plot. & quot You would have seen only three of the lot were arrested. We are working in a balanced manner. Earlier, all would be sent (to jail),& quot he had then said. Recently, Nisaruddin Ahmad was acquitted in the Babri anniversary blast case after he spent 23 years in a Jaipur jail. There have been others too. Mohd Amir Khan was acquitted in 17 out of the 19 terrors charges he was fending off, but only after being incarcerated for 14 years. He had been charged with setting off 20 low-intensity bombs over 10 months during 1996-1997 in Delhi, Rohtak, Panipat and Ghaziabad. He told TOI on Tuesday: & quot The government has policies to rehabilitate surrendered terrorists, but nothing for those who are falsely charged.& quot

OUR TAKE

The problem of these false accusations and remarks about muslim youth have been a menace not only to the country but also to the global community. It has been a grey area and much has not been done to tackle this menace. Now that the assurance has been given by the Minister, the problem is expected to have some solutions to the problem. Slapped with untenable terror charges, many Muslim men have lost the prime years of their lives as they languished in jail. After their release they have found it difficult to adjust to a world that has changed in the interim, graduating from buses to metros, banks to ATMs, landlines to smartphones. After the whole saffron governance the BJP is accused of following, the party should really b steering clear off the topic of religious issues.