Spurious liquor deaths prompt govt to give fresh push to PCOCA

CHANDIGARH:THE Punjab government is set to use the hooch tragedy to give an impetus to enacting the Punjab Control of Organised Crime Act (PCOCA). The issue of PCOCA, a strong law, figured at the state cabinet meeting on Wednesday, where the hooch tragedy was discussed.

As per a government spokesperson, the fresh suggestion to have PCOCA to deal with organised crime was mooted by advocate general Atul Nanda, with several ministers supporting it.

Framed on the basis of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the law is considered to be the idea of former Punjab DGP Suresh Arora who had pushed for its introduction to crackdown on organised crime during the previous SAD-BJP government, especially to check gang culture. As per original provisions proposed in PCOCA, a statement before a superintendent rank (SP) official would be admissible before court.

On Wednesday, the cabinet agreed that PCOCA was needed to combat organised crime like illicit liquor smuggling following which the CM asked the sub-committee under minister Brahm Mohindra to finalise and submit its report at the earliest. This subcommittee had been tasked with studying PCOCA, sometime after the Congress assumed power in 2017, but the matter was not pursued, after questions were raised over the misuse of the law.

The CM, as per an official spokesperson, agreed with Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and other ministers that PCOCA could help control hardcore criminals and act as deterrent to gangsters. This is for the first time that such unanimity has been seen to enact PCOCA, the provisions of which are stronger.

“If you look at the history of accused in this case, they were being booked repeatedly under the excise act but they were roaming freely because the present laws are not enough to curtail activities of such persons,” said a senior police functionary.

When the Amarinder government wanted to push the PCOCA after taking over in 2017, the provision of a statement before SP being valid in court was amended. It was suggested, instead, that an Ssp-rank officer would record a statement under this law and it would go to the IG for invoking the PCOCA.

Thereafter, the IG would invoke the act in a particular case only after getting permission from an additional director general of police (ADGP) rank officer, who would specifically oversee the implementation of the PCOCA.

All electronic evidence, including secret recordings of phone calls, gathered by the police will also be proof. Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Delhi, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala are the states that already have this kind of law to check organised crime.

THE ISSUE FIGURED AT THE STATE CABINET MEETING IN WHICH THE DISCUSSION WAS HELD ON HOOCH TRAGEDY