New Delhi: The Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill has gained momentum with the Union Cabinet recently approving the draft.
The Bill is likely to be introduced in the Parliament this week.
Sources in the Union Home Ministry said the Bill will envisage prevention of communal violence, ensure speedy investigation and dispensation of justice and impose enhanced punishment on persons involved in such offences.
Some of the provisions of the Bill are providing relief and rehabilitation facilities to victims, creating institutional arrangement for speedy investigation, disposal of cases and empowering state and Central authorities to discharge their duties in assisting victims.
The measure is expected to fulfil a major commitment of the UPA in the National Common Minimum Programme to bring a legislation for prevention of communal violence, they said.
The Bill, which had earlier been introduced in the Rajya Sabha, was referred to Parliament's Standing Committee for scrutiny.
The draft of the Bill has been prepared by the Home Ministry in consultation with the Law and Justice Ministry.
The Bill seeks to provide special procedures of investigation, the establishment of special courts with powers of summary trials and day-to-day hearings as a means to deal sternly with perpetrators of sectarian violence.
If implemented the new law will make it mandatory for police to establish centres to record FIRs in riot-hit localities and at relief camps.
The Bill says that if a state government fails to take appropriate action to prevent and control communal violence, the Centre may declare any area within a state as "communally disturbed" and deploy armed forces.
Sources in the security establishment said the new law will serve as an effective deterrent to potential perpetrators of such crimes and remove the false sense of comfort of impunity that they seem to enjoy.
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