New Delhi, Feb 18: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated on Tuesday that the responsibility for enforcing three new criminal laws does not lie with the elected government of Jammu and Kashmir, but he emphasized the need for his administration to promote awareness of these new provisions.
Speaking with reporters following a meeting convened by Home Minister Amit Shah to assess the implementation of the new criminal laws, Omar remarked, “
“It is not the duty of the elected government to enforce these laws. Since they are recent additions, it is crucial that the public is informed about them. The elected government has to take more initiatives in this direction,” he added.
The Chief Minister acknowledged that while Jammu and Kashmir has made progress in the implementation of these laws, there are still some areas for improvement.
He pointed out that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir was not discussed during the meeting.
“I had addressed security concerns related to J&K in my previous dialogue with HM (Amit Shah) on the Parliament grounds,” Omar stated.
Regarding his absence from security-related assessments concerning the Union Territory, he expressed his constraints in commenting further.
“There is a distinction between this meeting and prior ones. This discussion was focused on new laws and their implementation. If the decision has been made to exclude representatives elected by the populace from security matters, there is little more I can say,” he noted.
On the response from Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi about the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner, Omar commented, “The Leader of Opposition has the right to voice dissent in the selection meeting. It is not necessary for the Opposition to always align with the government. The issue regarding the constitution of the selection committee for choosing the CEC and election commissioners is currently under judicial review in the Supreme Court.”
The high-level meeting, led by the Union Home Minister, to scrutinize the enforcement of new criminal laws in Jammu & Kashmir was also attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and senior officials from both central and J&K governments.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam have replaced the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872 following the introduction of the new criminal laws that took effect on July 1 of the previous year. (KNO)
