Defence minister of India, AK Antony has made it clear that there is no need to have any change in the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. Earlier, the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) had urged the Prime Minister to abolish the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act as there is no need of the act in present time.

In the reaction, the defence minister said that the time had not come to abolish the law and there is always the hope for improvement in the existing act.

The ARC chairman Veerappa Moily had recommended in his report that the government should take a middle path and should scrap the law. He also asked the government that it should integrate the existing laws with the other provisions asked the army to include in the act as well as safeguards for citizens too.

On several occasions, the defence ministry has supported the logic that Indian army should have some special powers in tinderbox scenarios in the region such as Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir.

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