Kathmandu, August 9

The State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the Parliament today approved the draft of public security amendment bill. The SAGGC will table the bill in the upcoming meeting of the House of Representatives.

SAGGC Chair Dilendra Prasad Badu said the draft amendment bill was endorsed by the committee after clause-wise discussion.

The SAGGC passed the draft bill to insert Section 3.1(a) in the Public Security Act, stating that when a person has been put under preventive detention, the local authority will have to inform within 24 hours family members of the person under preventive detention about the condition of the person.

The bill proposes to amend Section 12 of the original act, stating that a person held under preventive detention shall be released in front of concerned district court judge or the registrar, family members or close relatives. Likewise, the draft amendment proposes that if the person’s family and relatives are not in favour of his/her release, the person can call a close or a trusted friend. The amendment proposal submitted by lawmaker Sanjay Kumar Gautam was approved unanimously by lawmakers of the committee.

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