The Hindu : Jethmalani suggests general amnesty

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 13, 2002

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Jethmalani suggests general amnesty

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI OCT. 12. The Chairman of the Kashmir Committee, Ram Jethmalani, today suggested that the newly-elected Government in Jammu and Kashmir should grant general amnesty to those who publicly lay down arms, favouring repeal of all ``repressive and undemocratic'' laws. Mr. Jethmalani also urged the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, to hold a dialogue with militants and separatists in the State.

Reacting to the results of the Assembly elections, he said in a statement here that trust-building measures should be put in place in the State with the help of the Centre.

He said public prosecutors should be instructed not to oppose bail for those who were not likely to abscond or otherwise defeat the judicial process. The former Union Law Minister said that a committee of reputed judges and lawyers should be appointed to review all pending prosecutions and terminate those that are ``false or frivolous or serve no public purpose.''

Mr. Jethmalani suggested that undertrials and detainees lodged in prisons outside the State be transferred back to the State near their families and friends. Compensation should be paid for those who have suffered loss or damage from excesses of public authorities and favoured encouragement of people-to-people contacts between different regions of the State.

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