Mayawati tables MACOCA-type bill to curb mafia

LUCKNOW: To take on the deep-rooted organised crime in Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Mayawati on Wednesday tabled the UP Control of Organised Crime Bill on the lines of Maharashtra’s MACOCA.

The proposed bill would work as an effective medium for the administrative and police forces to take on the mafia and organised crime syndicates for which Uttar Pradesh has earned a bad name.

Tabling the bill, Ms Mayawati said the UPCOCA aims to deal with the land grabbers, contract killers, kidnappers, contractors, hawala traders, economic offenders, drugs and spurious medicine dealers.

The proposed law will also discourage display of fire arms at public places creating to create terror, a tactic which the politicians and criminals in UP are famous for. Under the provisions, any group found moving around with three or more licence guns would be liable for their licences being cancelled.

Any case of the contract mafia bagging a contract by not allowing others to bid for the tenders or pressurising the officials concerned would face the prospect of the contract being cancelled and strict legal action against under the proposed Act. A state-level organised crime control authority will be set up to have the powers to cancel contracts grabbed forcefully.

Cases under UPCOCA would be tried in special courts and hearing would take place on a day-to-day basis for fast disposal of cases. Similarly, the registration of crime under the Bill, the criminal would not be able to obtain ex-parte bail and on registration of case for the second time the offence would be non-bailable.

To prevent any misuse of the UPCOCA, written permission of the Divisional Commissioner and DIG would be compulsory before the filling of FIR under the Act. Besides, the written permission of IG concerned will be mandatory before filling of chargesheet in a court of law.

The crime control authority will be headed by state principal secretary, Home, which will monitor the activities of the mafia. The ADG-law and order, ADG crime, and special secretary, justice, would be the members of the authority, vested with powers to take on the economic might of criminals and mafia.

District-level committees under this Act will be headed by the district magistrates while a state-level appellate authority, chaired by a retired Justice of high court, will be constituted to hear appeals filed against the orders passed by the authority within 30 days of the order.

She said the Act is part of the promises made by her party during the election campaign to rid the state of the mis-rule and jungle raj during the previous Samajwadi Party regime. She said the government had achieved much success in this regard and the proposed UPCOCA would eliminate the mafia and organised crime in the state.