In an extraordinary joint sitting of both Houses, the...

In an extraordinary joint sitting of both Houses, the Indian parliament passed the controversial anti-terrorism bill dubbed "draconian" by the Opposition after an acrimonious marathon debate that saw Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee rejecting Sonia Gandhi's charge that he was "weak".
In a division pressed by the Opposition, the deputy speaker, P. M. Sayeed, declared the motion for consideration of the Prevention of Terrorism Bill, 2002 adopted with 425 voting in favour and 296 against.
The Congress led an opposition walk out after the result of the division was announced and later the bill was passed by a voice vote. The joint sitting was necessitated after the bill was passed by Lok Sabha (Lower House) and rejected later by Rajya Sabha (Upper House).
The opposition feared that the "black law" would be misused against political opponents and minorities. The stringent law, already promulgated through an ordinance in October 2001, provides for capital punishment for terrorist killings, 90 days of detention without trial, Special Courts to deal with terrorist cases and powers to police to intercept communication which could be later presented as evidence in court.