NEW DELHI, Sept 22: India's president has repealed a tough anti-terror law, a government official said on Wednesday, removing a measure critics say has been misused against minority Muslims and to settle political scores.

But President Abdul Kalam approved another decree to give more teeth to an older law to deal with terrorism to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which was introduced after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on the US and a raid on the Indian parliament three months later.

New York-based Human Rights Watch welcomed New Delhi's decision saying it was a signal to other countries to fight terrorism without infringing basic human rights.

The Congress-led coalition, which took office in May this year, had promised to repeal the act, which gave security forces powers to arrest, interrogate and detain suspects for 30 days without producing them before a court.

Hundreds of people have been held under the law since then, including many Muslims in the riot-scarred western state of Gujarat. Critics said the law had also been used against opponents in several states. -Reuters