Chennai, Sep 29 (IANS): Tamil Nadu will soon have a special law to control organised crime, just like Maharashtra and Karnataka, the state government told the Madras High Court on Wednesday.

The Tamil Nadu Control Of Organised Criminal Act, similar to the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act, 1999 (MCOCA), and the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act, 2000, will be tabled in the next Assembly session, it submitted, against the backdrop of multiple judgments calling upon the state government to formulate such a law that would give more teeth to the state police and prevent 'goonda' elements from causing damage to the peace and tranquility of the state's people.

On November 30, 2018, the high court, while hearing a habeas corpus petition in a case related to the preventive detention of a person involved in a clash between rowdy gangs, had asked as to why Tamil Nadu should not come up with an exclusive law to tackle organised crimes.

"The case on hand was demonstrating as to how rowdy gangs and paid killers are active in Tamil Nadu, destroying the law and order situation in the state and creating panic in the minds of the common man in Tamil Nadu as well as in other parts of the country," it had said, adding that the clash between the gangs had led to the death of several persons and affected the tranquility and peace of the state.

Lashing out at the political patronage to the criminal elements, it said: "Even some of the MPs and MLAs who are elected to the houses of democracy have a criminal background and the goondas are associated with political parties, police, and community leaders."

The court had also expressed concern that Tamil Nadu was turning into a safe haven for terror elements, with modules of Jihadi terrorist organisations being unearthed.