Bangalore :The Karnataka Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug-Offenders, Slum-Grabbers and Video or Audio Pirates Act, 1985 (widely known as Goonda Act) was amended without discussion by the state legislature on Monday, July 28th, seeking to bring sexual offences, including rape, under its ambit.
In addition acid attacks, illegal sand mining, quarrying, land grabbing and money laundering have also been included.
The amendment bill describes a person involved in a sexual offence as a “sexual predator”.
It defines sexual predator as a person who commits or attempts or abets the commission of any offence under Sections 376, 376a, 376b, 376c, 376d and 376e of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
The amendment bill was tabled by Home Minister K J George amidst a dharna by Opposition BJP, demanding a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in de-notifying BDA land by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa declared the bill passed even as Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar opposed it saying a bill cannot be passed when the House was not in order. The Council, too, passed the bill without any discussion as the Opposition BJP members were staging a dharna over the MES row in Belgaum.
The Vibgyor rape case and the increasing number of reported rapes triggered the government’s decision to include sexual offences under the Goonda Act. Similarly the BJP had heckled the government on the sand mining issue and had charged the government with allowing the law-breakers to escape.
Under the Goonda Act, an accused may be arrested without warrant and detained up to one year.
