LG forwards proposal to MHA for extension of GPAA act to Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi Lt Governor V. K. Saxena has approved the proposal to forward to Union Ministry of Home Affairs the recommendation for extension of the Gujarat Prevention of Anti-social Activities Act, 1985 (GPAAA) to the National Capital.

The GPAAA provide for preventive detention of bootleggers, dangerous persons, drug offenders, immoral traffic offenders and property grabbers for preventing their anti-social and dangerous activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.

According to officials, Delhi’s Home Department on June 27 submitted the proposal to the Lt Governor for issuance of notification under Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act for extending the Gujarat law to the NCT of Delhi.

The Law Department of the Delhi government vetted the draft notification with the observation that the Administrative Department must ensure to comply with the provision of GNCTD (Amendment) Act, 2021 read with the GNCTD (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 and provisions of Transaction of Business Rules (TBR), 1993, which entail that the draft notification be sent to the Union Home Ministry for extension of the said Act to the National Capital.

It may be noted that an identical law from Telangana (The Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Boot leggers, property offenders … etc Act, 1986) was also examined and it was found that the Gujarat Law is more reasonable and better, officials said.

Further, the Lieutenant Governor had also agreed to the proposal that the Gujarat Law may be forwarded to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for considering its extension to national capital after taking not of the observation that between Telangana and Gujarat law, “the Gujarat law is more reasonable and better.”

Earlier in March this year, Saxena has accorded approval to the proposal of the Home Department that Delhi Police should effectively use The National Security Act of 1980 whose purpose is “to provide for preventive detention in certain cases and for matters connected therewith.”

Delhi Police vide its letter on February 14 this year had requested that the provisions of the Gujarat Act to be examined.

The Home Department in October last year had forwarded the approval accorded by the Lieutenant Governor to the request of the Delhi Police to examine the Telangana and Gujarat Laws for taking a decision, inter-alia, including decision on the subject of the Law and Order versus Public Order and the competency to extend the proposed law to NCT of Delhi.

“Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act, 1950 dealing with Power to extend enactments to certain Union Territories, entails that: “The Central Government may, by notification in the official gazette, extend to the Union Territory of Delhi or any part of such territory, with such restrictions and modifications as it thinks fit, any enactment which is in force in a State at the date of the notification,” the official added.

It is expected that once notified the said Act will provide the Police with more teeth to deal with criminals and at the same time ensure effective deterrence against crimes like chain snatching, bootlegging, drug peddling and trafficking etc.