5,128 UAPA cases lodged in five years

As many as 5,128 cases under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA and 229 on charges of sedition have been lodged across the country in a five-year period from 2015, Parliament was informed on March 10.

Manipur topped the charts in terms of cases lodged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, with the northeast state alone accounting for 1,786 or 34.82 per cent of the total cases.

Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy tabled the data for a period of 2015 to 2019. The data, updated till December 31, 2019, was based on a compilation by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

A total of 897 cases were lodged under the UAPA in 2015 followed by 922 in 2016, 901 in 2017, 1,182 in 2018 and 1,126 in 2019.

Manipur lodged 522 cases under UAPA in 2015 followed by 327 in 2016, 330 in 2017, 289 in 2018 and 306 in 2019 — the maximum among all states and Union Territories during the period except for 2018 when Assam had 308 such cases.

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.

Sedition cases

According to the data, 30 cases were lodged on charges of sedition in 2015 followed by 35 in 2016, 51 in 2017, 70 in 2018 and 93 in 2019.

Bihar topped the list in 2015 with nine such cases followed by Haryana in 2016 with 12 cases, Assam in 2017 with 19, Jharkhand in 2018 with 18 and Karnataka in 2019 with 22 cases.

What is sedition?

The offence of sedition is provided under section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. 

It states: Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added.

Sedition is punishable with life imprisonment and also an additional fine if the ruling dispensation thinks a person is inciting hatred against the establishment.

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