Cong presses for early passage of Prevention of Torture Bill

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Ashwani Kumar today urged the government for an early passage of the ' Prevention of Torture Bill, 2010', saying the provisions were approved unanimously by a Parliamentary Select Committee.

In a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, he said its passage was a must for ensuring a 'civilised administration' of our criminal justice system as many of our citizens are 'humiliated, abused and tortured' in custody.

"It has taken us over 13 years to come up with this progressive law whereby India, which is a signatory to the 'United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment', will be able to ratify the convention by enacting a domestic law," he said.

"I believe that this law deserves foremost priority in the scheme of government's legislative business," the Congress MP in Rajya Sabha said.

The Prevention of Torture Bill seeks to provide punishment for torture inflicted by public servants.