MHA designates 18 more persons as ‘terrorists’ under UAPA

The government designated 18 more individuals as ‘terrorists’ including chief of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen Syed Salahudin, founders of Indian Mujahideen Bhatkal brothers and a close lieutenant of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel, taking the total number of such proscribed persons to 31.

The hijackers of an Indian Airlines plane in 1999 — Abdul Rauf Asghar, Ibrahim Athar and Yusuf Azhar — have also been named in the list, prepared under provisions of the amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

What is the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act?

• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is an anti-terror law aimed at the effective prevention of unlawful activities associations in India.

• Its main objective is to make powers available for dealing with activities directed against the integrity and sovereignty of India.

• It was passed in 1967 under the Congress government led by PM Indira Gandhi. Later, amendments were brought in under the UPA governments in 2004, 2008 and 2013.

• In August 2019, the President gave approval to The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019. 

• The amended Act included provision of designating an individual as a terrorist. Prior to this amendment, only organisations could be designated as terrorist organisations.

• The amendment gave powers to the director general of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to attach properties acquired from proceeds of terrorism. Earlier, the law required that the NIA take prior permission from the respective state police chief to attach the proceeds of terrorism. Also, the International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005) has been added in the Second Schedule through the amendment.

• By invoking the said amended provision, the Central Government had designated as terrorists four individuals in September 2019 and nine individuals in July 2020.

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