Kathmandu, May 2

The Ministry of Home Affairs has registered a bill in the Parliament Secretariat seeking to amend the Public Security Act, 1989.

The ministry has proposed to insert Section 3.1(a) in the original act, stating that when a person has been put under preventive detention, the local authority will have to inform within 24 hours  family members or close relatives of the person under preventive detention about the situation of the person.

The bill also proposes to amend Section 12 of the original act, stating that in the course of releasing a person held under preventive detention, such person shall be released in front of concerned district court judge or the registrar and if possible family members or close relative of the person under preventive detention.

The bill states that the government proposes to introduce this provision because it was necessary to punish local authorities who do not fulfil their legal obligation.