Status of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act(UAPA) in 2019

What is the News?

The Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) informed Lok Sabha about the number of cases registered under the Unlawful Activities [Prevention] Act(UAPA) in 2019.

Key Data Provided by MHA on cases under UAPA:

• Persons arrested under UAPA: In 1226 cases around 1948 persons were arrested under UAPA across the country in 2019.
  • This is a 72% increase in the number of persons arrested under the UAPA in 2019 compared to 2015.
• The Highest Number of Cases: In 2019, the highest number of cases were registered in Manipur. This is then followed by Tamil Nadu, Jammu, and Kashmir, Jharkhand, and Assam.
• The Highest Number of Arrests: The highest number of arrests in 2019 was made in Uttar Pradesh. The is then followed by Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Jammu, and Kashmir and Jharkhand followed the UP.
• Terrorist Organisations: The government has declared 42 organisations as terrorist organisations and listed their names in the First Schedule of the UAPA.
• Convictions: Only 2% of cases registered under the UAPA between 2016-2019 ended in convictions by the court.

Read about National security Laws

About Unlawful Activities [Prevention] Act(UAPA):

• UAPA was introduced in 1967 to target secessionist organizations. It is primarily an anti-terror law aimed at preventing certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations.
• Investigation: The cases under the UAPA are investigated by the State police and the National Investigation Agency(NIA).
• Bail: Under the act, getting bail is rare. The investigating agency has up to 180 days to file a charge sheet.

Click Here to Read More about UAPA

 Source: The Hindu