Stop politicisation of anti-terror laws: CJI

Coming out against "communalisation and politicisation" of anti-terror laws, Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan today said new legislations similar to the controversial POTA contemplated by several states "raises serious human rights concern".

The Chief Justice also regretted that violation of human rights were "swept under the carpet" and pressed for a revamped criminal justice system.

Delivering the 20th Endowment Lecture of Intelligence Bureau, he said it was important to "prevent communalisation and politicisation of such laws (anti-terror laws)".

"The fact that several states have suggested that they will enact new laws similar to POTA raises serious human rights concern," he told a gathering of Intelligence Bureau officials.

"The essential question that arises while considering the efficacy of such special laws is whether they are required at all, and if, in the alternate, we can reinforce our criminal justice system mechanism to include prevention of the acts for which these special laws are enacted," he said.

The comments of the Chief Justice came close on heels of views expressed by some Chief Ministers at a conference on internal security seeking enactment of anti-terror law akin to POTA.

Maintaining that internal security has to go hand-in-glove with promotion and protection of human rights, he stressed on the need to have a symmetry between the two to reduce the "teasing illusion".