Amidst Calls For Its Scrapping, Here¡¯s What You Need To Know About The UAPA
The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act UAPA 1967 was originally intended to criminalise unlawful acts had its scope widened to include terrorist activities. In July 2019 the Centre amended the law to include and name individuals as terrorists even though they may have no affiliation to any of the listed terrorist organisations. Experts now argue that the law has now become an instrument of oppression. Umar Khalid who is named as the prime accused...Read More
The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967 which was originally intended to criminalise unlawful acts, had its scope widened to include " terrorist activities". However, the description of these activities is quite vague and contentious.
Acts that might be characterised as unlawful now include dissent towards the state, and are generally discriminatory in nature.
Many experts now argue that the law has now become an instrument of oppression. In July 2019, the Centre amended the law to include and name individuals as terrorists even though they may have no affiliation to any of the listed terrorist organisations.
In the past few years, UAPA has been slapped on individuals who spoke for the oppressed, civil rights and those who dissent with the government and its policies.
BCCL
The latest victim of the UAPA is Umar Khalid who is named as the prime accused in the Delhi riots, which took place in February earlier this year.
Former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid was arrested late on Sunday night under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act(UAPA) for his alleged role in the northeast Delhi riots.
He was earlier booked under the Act in another case.
Activist Sudha Bharadwaj, who is widely known for her work as a human rights lawyer, was in 2018 charged under UAPA. Telugu poet Varavara Rao and activists Arun Ferriera, Vernon Gonsalves and fugitive general secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist) Ganapathy alias Chandrashekhar were also charged udner the act.
There is a growing chorus to repeal UAPA as it gives the Centre and agencies absolute powers over an individual and these individuals have little legal recourse.
Scrap #UAPA !!!!
¡ª Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) September 13, 2020
Shocked that an anti-terror law UAPA has been used to arrest a young, thinking, idealist like @UmarKhalidJNU who has always opposed violence and communalism in any form.
¡ª Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) September 14, 2020
He is undoubtedly among the leaders that India deserves.@DelhiPolice can't detain India's future for long.
Not a single #AndhBhakt has questioned why no #UAPA for Kapil mishra, anurag thakur, komal sharma and their likes.
¡ª Arshi Siddiqui (@Arshi_E_Sid) September 13, 2020
Kis gandi mitti ke bane ho tum log.. hil ke nahin deta tumhara zameer ?
Protesting is a crime.
¡ª Anna MM Vetticad (@annavetticad) September 13, 2020
Criticising this government is a crime.
Being #Muslim is a crime.
Let us not pretend that there is anything more to #UmarKhalid's arrest than this. #IStandWithUmarKhalidhttps://t.co/jmQYnJ6x4F
Some rare pics of #Umarkhalid during the period of delhi riots. #UAPA#StandWithUmarKhalid pic.twitter.com/LQ619ThNSF
¡ª furqan khan (@Khayaal96499295) September 14, 2020
This month itself, 10 Jammu and Kashmir youth were charged under UAPA for playing a cricket match in the memory of a youth arrested allegedly for militancy links.
Delhi Police have booked students from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia for anti-CAA protests, Pinjra Tod activists, environment group Fridays For Future under UAPA.
Those using VPN in Kashmir were also booked under the law just as those protesting CAA & NRC in Assam.
