The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed an amendment to the Oil Pipelines Act to make acts of terror to destroy oil and gas pipelines punishable with a maximum of death sentence.
Damaging oil and gas pipelines in the country could now attract death penalty. The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed an amendment to the Oil Pipelines Act to make acts of terror to destroy oil and gas pipelines punishable with a maximum of death sentence.
In the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Amendment Bill, 2010, passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the act of damaging the oil pipeline has been considered as dangerous, and punishment for which may “extend to imprisonment for life or death.”
The oil and gas pipelines have been targeted by the terrorists and insurgents in the country, due to its huge financial implications. The government wanted to bring in an act that would be a detriment for people to resort to such activities.
“Whoever with the intent to cause or knowing that he is likely to cause damage to or destruction of any pipeline laid under section 7, causes by fire, explosive substance or otherwise damage to the pipeline being used for transportation of petroleum products, crude oil or gas with the intent to commit sabotage or with the knowledge that such act is so imminently dangerous that it may in all probability cause death of any person or such bodily injury likely to cause death of any person, shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment which shall not be less than ten years but may extend to imprisonment for life or death”, says the Act.
Prior to the amendment, the Act provided for a jail term of one to three years for acts of sabotage and pilferage. In the Parliament today, the minister of state for petroleum, RPN Singh said “the death penalty would be applicable in rarest of the rare cases”.
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