MHA declares two groups as terrorist organisations under UAPA

• The ministry of home affairs declared two groups as terrorist organisations under the stringent anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA.

• On January 5, the MHA declared The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned organisation.

• The MHA said the TRF is recruiting youth through online medium for furtherance of terrorist activities, recruitment of terrorists, infiltration of terrorist and smuggling of weapons and narcotics from Pakistan into Jammu & Kashmir.

• The group came into existence in 2019 as a proxy of the banned LeT, which was involved in numerous terror acts, including 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

• On January 6, the MHA banned People’s Anti-Fascist-Front (PAFF), a proxy outfit of another Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, for its involvement in terror acts in Jammu & Kashmir and elsewhere.

• The MHA said the PAFF has been regularly issuing threats to security forces, political leaders and civilians working in Jammu-and Kashmir from other states.

• The PAFF, along with other organisations, is involved in conspiring pro-actively physically and in social media to undertake violent terrorist acts in Jammu & Kashmir and other major cities in India, a notification said. 

What is the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act?

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

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