5-Year Silence: Gov’t Delays to Deliver on Justice Reform

In a recent exchange in the Parliament, Attorney General Maneesh Gobin gave the impression that the Police and Criminal Justice Bill would be presented to the House when the time is right.

However, in a surprise response, the Attorney General revealed that there is no consensus on the bill and that the practice of filing provisional charges is well-established in law.

The Attorney General’s statement was made in response to a question from Khushal Lobine, who expressed disappointment and frustration with the government’s lack of progress on the bill.

The bill, which was initially prepared before the 2014 elections, aimed to abolish provisional charges.

In July 2019, the Attorney General had assured that the bill would be presented during the parliamentary session that ended in October 2019.

However, five years have passed since then, and there has been no update on the bill’s progress.

Khushal Lobine, a member of Parliament, criticized the government’s silence on the issue, stating that it was a “fleece” by the government.

He argued that the government had abandoned its intention to present the bill and instead preferred to continue with the practice of provisional charges, which has been widely criticized by many people and lawyers.

The advocate parliamentary noted that the government’s lack of action on the bill was a demonstration of its agreement with the police’s methods.

If the government were genuinely interested in reforming the criminal justice system, it would have presented the bill to Parliament long ago.

The controversy surrounding provisional charges has raised concerns about injustice and abuse of power.

Many people, including politicians and journalists, have been victims of provisional charges.

Khushal Lobine warned that as long as the government continues to file provisional charges without reforming the system, injustice and abuse will continue to prevail.

The Attorney General’s statement has raised more questions than answers about the government’s intentions on the Police and Criminal Justice Bill.

Source: l’Express