New Delhi [India]: The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned for Thursday a plea filed by former law minister Ashwini Kumar on the delay in defining and enacting a law in accordance with the international convention against torture.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIl), filed by lawyer and former minister Kumar, sought that the apex court should take up the onus for enactment of a law as various governments at the Centre have failed to come up with at least one even after India had signed on the UN Convention against Torture in 1997.
A bench of the apex Court headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi heard the contention by Kumar, who had asked the court to enact a law for witness protection in accordance with international conventions.
During the course of the arguments, Kumar told the court that he was not given enough time for arguing the case. The CJI repsonded , “Look we also know what should be done and what we should hear.”
Kumar told the apex court that no steps had been taken to implement the Prevention of Torture Bill 2010 even after it was passed by the Lok Sabha on May 6, 2010 and and recommended by a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha of which he had been the Chairman.
The top court is scheduled to hear the matter on Thursday.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]