Lok Sabha passes bill to deal with maritime piracy
New Delhi, (PTI): The Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill to make special provisions for the repression of piracy on high seas with the government adding life imprisonment along with the provision of death penalty for those convicted of the crime.
Various amendments moved by opposition members were negated and the bill was passed by a voice vote.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said keeping in mind the observations of the Supreme Court that death penalty should be in rarest of rare cases and the fact that many nations do not extradite accused in view of the provision of capital punishment, the government is including the option of life in prison.
The Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill was brought in 2019. After undergoing scrutiny of a parliamentary panel, the government moved amendments in the Monsoon session of Parliament.
The measure was finally passed on Monday.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
