To a question on UAPA cases, MoS (Home) G Kishan Reddy told Rajya Sabha in a written reply that a total of 922, 901 and 1,182 UAPA cases were registered across the country in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.

The Central Government Wednesday informed Parliament that a total of 922, 901 and 1182 cases were registered in the country under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) during the year 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively.

Citing the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), it added that a total of 999, 1554 and 1421 persons were arrested under UAPA during the said period.

The information shared by the Minister of State (MoS) Home Affairs also revealed that there were a total of 232, 272, and 317 cases, wherein chargesheets had been filed by security agencies with respect to cases registered under UAPA during the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively.

To a question on UAPA cases, MoS (Home) G Kishan Reddy told Rajya Sabha in a written reply that a total of 922, 901 and 1,182 UAPA cases were registered across the country in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. In these cases, 3,974 people were arrested: 999 in 2016, 1,554 in 2017 and 1,421 in 201

Further, in 2017 and 2018, the number of chargeheests submitted in one to two years was 92 and 52 and after two years 31 and 10 respectively.

The MoS (Home) was responding to questions asked by Binoy Viswam, Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Communist Party of India.

In reply to another question, Reddy told Rajya Sabha that in 2017 and 2018, as many as 1,198 people had been detained by police under the National Security Act (NSA) across the country. Of them, 563 continue to be behind bars, Reddy said.

He also said that Madhya Pradesh detained the highest number of people — 795 — under the NSA during the period followed by Uttar Pradesh with 338 people.

Across the country, in 2018, a total of 697 people were detained under the NSA, of whom 406 were released. In 2017, 501 people were detained and 229 released by review boards.

The government on Wednesday also told Parliament that as many as 12 states had seen the influence of Islamic State and southern states were badly affected.

“Some instances of individuals from different States, including Southern States, having joined Islamic State (IS) have come to the notice of Central and State Security Agencies. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered 17 cases related to the presence of IS in Southern States of Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and arrested 122 accused persons,” Reddy said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

Reddy said IS was using social media platforms to propagate its ideology and agencies were keeping a close watch on cyberspace.

Pinjra Tod activists Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal are facing prosecution under UAPA for their alleged role in the Delhi riots. Both were in jail since May this year.

More recently, the Delhi police arrested former JNU student Umar Khalid under UAPA for his alleged role in the Delhi riots. A Court in Delhi remanded him to ten days police custody.

Activist Rona Wilson, Advocate Surendra Gadling, Prof Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Sudha Bharadwaj etc., are also in jail under UAPA in the Bhima Koregaon violence case.

An accused cannot seek anticipatory bail if they are charged under provisions of the UAPA and the period of investigation can be extended to 180 days from 90 days on the public prosecutor’s request — which means the accused has virtually no chance of getting bail by default. If in the opinion of the Court, the case is prima facie true, it can even refuse regular bail to the accused persons.

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