Rajasthan’s Organized Crime Control Bill: Must-Know Details
The bill has been drafted on the lines of similar legal provisions in Maharashtra.
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Rajasthan secretariate. File Photo.
JAIPUR: Keeping in view the increased activities of organized criminal gangs in Rajasthan, the state government is introducing a bill to control the menace. The Organized Crime Control Bill got the nod of the state cabinet on Wednesday. It will soon be introduced in the assembly.
The bill has been drafted on the lines of similar legal provisions in Maharashtra. The government is of the view that the stringent laws helped authorities curb organized gangs of criminals in Maharashtra and keeping in view the increased activity of gangs in Rajasthan, particularly in Jaipur and Jodhpur, it was high time to introduce similar legal provisions here also.
Some of the provisions of the bill include:
- Setting up special courts to hear cases of organized crimes
- Seizure of properties amassed through illegal means
- No anticipatory bail to the members of organized crime gangs
- Investigation by a police officer of the rank of DCP or higher
- Witness protection program in which the identity of witnesses will be kept confidential and those who reveal the identity will be liable to prosecution with a maximum imprisonment of 1 year and/or fine
- For serious crimes such as murder, there will be provisions for capital punishment
- For amassing wealth from organized crime, there will be special provisions of punishment including 5-year imprisonment
- Strict punishment includes 5 years imprisonment for harbouring members of organized crime gangs.
There have been several instances of businessmen getting threats from members of organized gangs including the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
The members of the gang opened fire at a popular nightclub in Jaipur to extort money from the owner. Lawrence Bishnoi was recently brought to Jaipur and interrogated in this regard.
