The BJP on Saturday said Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s advice to states seeking review of cases against minorities was “unconstitutional” and “partisan” as it ignored similar cases involving people booked for red terror, besides being political, as it came ahead of elections.
Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley wrote that Shinde’s move was “clearly unconstitutional” as “Article 14 guarantees to every citizen a right to equality…The criteria that the facility of reviewing terror cases would be extended to persons depending on which faith they believe in or are born into is clearly unconstitutional. A crime does not cease to be a crime because a criminal practices a particular faith”.
He also charged that the Home Ministry’s directive to states reeked of politics. Though several people were charged with offences of terror in the country, the “provisions have been invoked against those associated with certain radical Islamic groups”.
The senior lawyer-cum-politician said: “Maoists have been charged in terror offences in several parts of the country. The provisions of anti-terror laws have been invoked against some persons in the North-East and Jammu & Kashmir.”
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