Rajya Sabha takes up Maritime Anti-Piracy Bill for consideration

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Wednesday moved Maritime Anti-Piracy Bill, 2022 for passage in Rajya Sabha.

The bill makes special provisions for repression of piracy on high seas and provides for the punishment for the offence of piracy was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 19.

"The Maritime Anti-Piracy Bill, 2022 was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 19. This bill was initially introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 9, 2019. And it was referred to the Standing Committee on External Affairs 2019/20 for examination and report. The carefully committee examined the bill and made some useful recommendations and observations," Jaishankar said while speaking in Rajya Sabha during the discussion on the Bill.

He thanked the members of the standing committee for their contribution and views that helped shaped the bill.

"The Ministry of External Affairs held several rounds of extensive inter-ministerial consultations with the concerned departments of the Government of India to incorporate all the recommendations of the standing committee in the bill. The amendments were drafted and finalized with the concurrence of the Ministry of Law and Justice," the minister said.

The External Affairs Minister informed the house that out of the 18 recommendations of the standing committee, 14 of them have been incorporated suitably in the bill.

"Three recommendations were only observations and they too have been duly noted. One recommendation related to defining the clear-cut roles of various departments for the establishment of a coordination mechanism. It also called for designing standard operating procedures for deportation and extradition of pirates by the Ministry of Home Affairs," he added.

Addressing the concerns of the members of the standing committee, the minister said the provision for "trial in absentia" was dropped in the official amendments before they were passed by the Lok Sabha."

"This bill addresses the issue of the death penalty as an exceptional case and the quantum of punishments envisaged are in line with the gravity of offenses," the union minister said.

On Monday, Lok Sabha passed the Anti-maritime Piracy Bill, 2019 that seeks to provide an effective legal instrument to combat piracy not only in territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but also on the high seas.

"The official amendment has provided punishment for life. Earlier, there was provision for death. Now, the provision for death has been amended as per government amendment to punishment to death or with imprisonment for life, if such a person is committing the act of piracy and causes death or an attempt thereof," Jaishankar said during the discussion on the Bill in Lok Sabha.

The Bill will empower Indian authorities to deal with piracy on the high seas beyond the exclusive economic zone which is 200 nautical miles from the country's coastline.

The minister had said India's security and economic well-being is inextricably linked to the sea and maritime security is a prerequisite with more than 90 per cent of the country's trade with the world taking place through sea routes and more than 80 per cent of hydrocarbon requirements being seaborne.

( With inputs from ANI )

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