The Narendra Modi government has made way for enactment of a controversial anti-terrorism legislation passed by Gujarat which was thrice rejected by its predecessor United Progressive Alliance.Home ministry has cleared the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime ( GCTOC) Bill, 2015 — which has been hanging fire since Modi first introduced it in 2001 as then Gujarat chief minister — and sent it to the President’s secretariat. Once it receives President Pranab Mukherjee’s assent it will become a law. Although there were some reservations within the Rajnath Singh-led ministry about certain clauses in the bill, the home minister decided to give the clearance as he felt that there has been a long delay in delegating powers to Gujarat to fight terrorism and organised crime, officials privy to the deliberations in the ministry told. The home ministry’s recommendations are generally accepted by the President, they said. However, the President can seek clarifications on certain contentious clauses before giving his assent or rejecting the bill.
