{"id":86645,"date":"2026-10-12T18:27:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T12:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=86645"},"modified":"2026-10-12T18:28:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T12:58:15","slug":"uapa-act-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/12-10-2026\/uapa-act-reforms","title":{"rendered":"Need For Reforms in Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance, GS3\/Internal Security<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The death anniversary of Professor G.N. Saibaba brings renewed attention to concerns surrounding prolonged pre-trial detention and the protection of civil liberties under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The UAPA gives powers to the government to probe and prosecute people for acts of terrorism, and to designate an organization as an \u201cunlawful association\u201d or a <strong>\u201cterrorist organization\u201d<\/strong>, or an individual as a <strong>\u201cterrorist\u201d.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was enacted on the recommendation of the <strong>National Integration Council,<\/strong> set up in<strong> 1961 <\/strong>to find ways to counter problems that were dividing the country.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, in its original form, the Act largely dealt with secessionist activities, with no explicit mention of terrorism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Key Provisions:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sections 38 and 39 <\/strong>criminalise specified association with and support for terrorist organisations, subject to the statutory requirements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Section 35 <\/strong>empowers the Central Government to designate an organisation or an individual as a terrorist, subject to the provisions of the Act.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Section 43D(5): <\/strong>The court must deny bail if, after examining the police report or case diary, it finds reasonable grounds to believe that the allegations against the accused are <strong>prima facie true<\/strong> (appear to be true at first glance).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Amendments of the Act<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In <strong>2004,<\/strong> the Act was amended for the first time, with \u201cand for dealing with terrorist activities\u201d added to its title.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>After the 26\/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008,<\/strong> another set of amendments broadened the definition of terrorism in the Act and introduced longer incarceration and more stringent bail conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In<strong> 2012, <\/strong>the UAPA was amended to include <strong>\u201ceconomic security\u201d <\/strong>of the country in the ambit of terrorism.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Under this, the statute went on to designate production, smuggling and distribution of counterfeit Indian currency as a terrorist act.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The<strong> 2019<\/strong> amendment gave the government the powers to designate an individual as a terrorist. Until then, only organizations could be designated as \u201cterrorist\u201d.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This was criticized as overturning the founding principle of the criminal justice system that presumes innocence until proven guilty for every suspect.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns associated with the UAPA Act<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Stringent Bail Provisions: <\/strong>The UAPA restricts a judge from granting bail if, after reviewing police reports, there are &#8220;reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation is prima facie true.&#8221;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This provision introduces elements of <strong>criminal trial into the bail stage,<\/strong> which contradicts the principle of presumption of innocence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Extended Detention: <\/strong>The UAPA allows prolonged detention without formal charges, extending the period of pre-trial incarceration.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This conflicts with <strong>Article 21 <\/strong>of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vagueness in Definition: <\/strong>The definition of \u201cunlawful activity\u201d and \u201cterrorist act\u201d under UAPA is broad and ambiguous, leading to potential misuse.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Freedom of Expression:<\/strong> UAPA has been invoked against activists, journalists, and students, raising concerns about stifling dissent.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This could be seen as a violation of <strong>Article 19,<\/strong> which guarantees freedom of speech and expression.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Highly Discretionary:<\/strong> It confers upon the government broad discretionary powers and also authorises the creation of special courts with the ability to use secret witnesses and to hold closed-door hearings.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Judicial Interventions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>National Investigation Agency v. Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali (2019):<\/strong> The SC held that courts must examine whether the accusations are prima facie true while deciding bail under <strong>Section 43D(5) of the UAPA<\/strong>, without conducting a detailed trial at this stage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Union of India v. K.A. Najeeb (2021):<\/strong> The SC held that prolonged imprisonment and unreasonable trial delays can justify bail under <strong>Article 21<\/strong>, despite the strict bail conditions under <strong>Section 43D(5) of the UAPA.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Thwaha Fasal v. Union of India (2021):<\/strong> Mere association with a terrorist organisation is insufficient for conviction under <strong>Sections 38 and 39<\/strong> unless the intention required by the relevant provision is established.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Legal Reforms:<\/strong> Amendment to\u00a0 the UAPA is needed to ensure clearer definitions of offences and reduce the harsh bail restrictions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Judicial Oversight:<\/strong> There is a need to establish mechanisms for periodic judicial review to prevent misuse.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Safeguard Freedom of Expression:<\/strong> Introduce guidelines to prevent the misuse of the law against dissenting voices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While the UAPA serves a critical role in safeguarding national security, its stringent provisions raise concerns about civil liberties and due process.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A balanced approach through reforms and judicial safeguards is essential to uphold constitutional values while addressing security threats effectively.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/why-uapa-demands-urgent-reform\/article71571306.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The death anniversary of Professor G.N. Saibaba brings renewed attention to concerns surrounding prolonged pre-trial detention and the protection of civil liberties under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What is Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The UAPA gives powers to the government to probe and prosecute people for acts of terrorism, and to designate an organization as an \u201cunlawful association\u201d or a \u201cterrorist organization\u201d, or an individual as a \u201cterrorist\u201d.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It was enacted on the recommendation of the National Integration Council, set up in 1961 to find ways to counter problems that were dividing the country. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/12-10-2026\/uapa-act-reforms\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86645"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86647,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86645\/revisions\/86647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}