Public property destruction: Act to be altered

KOCHI: With increasing incidents of destruction of public property, the state government is planning to amend the Prevention of Destruction of Public Property (PDPP) Act-1984.A draft proposal in this regard was prepared by Director General of Prosecution T Asaf Ali and sent to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. Asaf Ali suggested that the government may issue a notification in the official gazette and constitute a special court. The court will be presided over by a magistrate not below the rank of a chief judicial magistrate.“Amendment will be essential to prevent the destruction of public property during strikes and protests. In the wake of the recent HC order, such incidents have come down. So an amendment in the Act will be beneficial to the state,” Asaf Ali said.The Supreme Court had taken note of the menace and had issued a directive to the government to enact a suitable legislation by amending the Act. The apex court had accepted the reports of two expert committees recommending the amendment.As per the reports, the PDPP should contain provisions to make the leaders of the organisations which call for protest guilty to abet the offence and enable the police officers to arrange videography of destruction. When a person is convicted under the Act, the court shall, in addition to imposing the sentence of imprisonment, order the accused to pay for the damages.He also proposed stringent bail conditions.