Says no amendment to Law under consideration amid question regarding its ‘misuse’
SRINAGAR: 750 persons were arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in Jammu and Kashmir in three years till 2020, the Ministry of Home Ministry informed Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Nityanand Rai, Minister of State MHA, in a written reply said that 346 persons were arrested in 2020 while 177 and 247 were held in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
The junior ministry responded in negative parliamentarian Dibyendu Adhikar’s question whether the Government has also any proposal to amend the UAPA law to “prevent the harassment of innocent persons.”
“There are adequate Constitutional, institutional and statutory safeguards, including inbuilt safeguards in the UAPA itself, to prevent misuse of the law,” the minister said in the reply, a copy of which lies with GNS, adding, “The UAPA has been amended in the past keeping in view the requirement. Presently, no amendments in the UAPA are under consideration”. (GNS)
