The tourist coming to Rajasthan can feel safer now as misbehaviour with tourists will now be a cognizable offence and if repeated, the offence will be non-bailable.
The state assembly has amended the Rajasthan Tourism Trade (Facilitation and Regulation) Act, 2010 on Monday night for this. Rajasthan is known to be a tourist state but has the problem of undesirable elements who force tourists for shopping from a particular place and sometimes misbehave with them.
Minister of state for tourism Govind Singh Dotasra said told the house that the legislation was brought in 2010 it was not mentioned in the bill whether the offence was bailable or non-bailable.
Dotasara said that police stations in Jaipur and Udaipur were opened to check touts and cases were filed in 2016 and challans were submitted. The accused went to the High Court that had quashed an FIR on the ground that offences are not specifically provided in the Act as cognizable. Therefore, the amendments have been made, he said.
Dotasara said that earlier about 54 cases were also registered, but after the decision of the High Court, neither the police could file an FIR, nor could the court take any major action. He said that on the production of Istgasa in the court, and some punishable amount, the accused was released as the offence was not cognizable. Now, police will be able to take stringent action.
