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Centre has right to intervene in state during violence: Moily
Created on 06-02-2010 6:56 pm



A public consultation on Communal Violence Bill with law minister Veerappa Moily earlier this week saw many areas of agreement, especially on the contentious issue of Centre�s right to make an entry into a state during sectarian violence. Moily told a gathering of jurists, judges, activists and lawyers that he, as head of Administrative Reforms Commission, had said Centre has constitutional right to intervene in a state at times of violence. He also asked human rights groups to convince parliamentarians about the need for a new law. As for the feeling that through this law, Centre is trying to encroach on the powers of states, activists argue that the Centre has a fundamental duty under Article 51(C) to foster respect for international humanitarian law. Also, under Article 355, Centre has the constitutional duty to protect every state that must include all people within the state against internal disturbance and to ensure governance in every state. The bill also talks of setting up a mechanism through National Authority, a permanent independent statutory body on which Centre will have no control.