New Delhi, Nov.30 (ANI): A day after reviewing the overall security situation in terror-hit Mumbai and the rest of the country with key civil, defence and intelligence officials, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, will on Sunday preside over an all-party meeting to discuss the situation arising out of the terror attacks that have left 195 dead and 295 injured.
It is expected that the meeting will seriously consider a proposal to set up a federal agency that will have direct jurisdiction to investigate crimes with national and international ramifications.
The proposal has been in the pipeline since 2000 when former Home Minister L K Advani, asked the K Padmanabhaiah Committee on Police Reforms to examine the feasibility of declaring certain crimes as federal offences “to enable a central agency to undertake investigation, without any loss of time.”
The Padmanabhaiah Committee then opposed the creation of such a body, warning that it could affect federal balance.
The proposal was once again taken up in 2003 when the Justice V S Malimath Committee recommended that the time had come for setting up a federal investigating agency with an India charter.
In a bid to soothe federal sensitivities of states, the Malimath Committee said the proposed agency should have concurrent jurisdiction over federal crimes.
Home Minister Advani could not push through the federal agency proposal and his successor Shivraj Patil was confronted with an adverse recommendation from the Administrative Reforms Commission headed by Congress leader Veerappa Moily. The Moily-led commission then recommended that crimes of a federal nature could be investigated by a specialized wing of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
On Saturday, Dr. Singh met the chiefs of the three services and intelligence agencies to discuss the unprecedented terror attacks and ways to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future. The meeting reviewed the security situation after the National Security Guard (NSG)-led counter-terror operation to flush out terrorists was declared over.
Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor, Naval Chief Admiral Suresh Mehta, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, Coast Guard Director General Admiral R F Contractor and Intelligence Bureau Chief P C Haldar attended the meeting.
Earlier, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil met top officials of various forces and agencies and it was decided to step up security along the countrys coastline.
The Congress Working Committee also met on Saturday evening and was reportedly briefed by the Prime Minister about the actions taken by his government on internal security. (ANI)