Lok Sabha takes up bill to amend Unlawful Activities Prevention Act

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday took up discussion on a bill that empowers the government to designate individuals as terrorists and empowers the Director-General, National Investigation Agency (NIA) to grant approval of seizure or attachment of property when the case is investigated by the agency.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019, was moved for passage and consideration of the House by Minister of State (Mos) for Home G Kishan Reddy.

Initiating the debate on the bill, Congress member Manish Tewari said that it was wrong to assume that strong laws were the solution to all problems.

He said that the bill has provisions, which can grossly be misused.

Tewari said the conviction under TADA was only 1.11 per cent and of 1,031 persons arrested under POTA, 13 were convicted.

Tewari refuted allegations of Home Minister Amit Shah that POTA was repealed for political reasons. He said the NDA government headed by Atal Behari Vajpayee had itself formed a review committee over allegations of its misuse.

He said the provisions of POTA law needed to fight terrorism were included in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act and those which were being misused were left out.

Participating in the debate, BJP member Meenakshi Lekhi said that the bill had been brought to remove lacunas in the law left by the UPA government.

The Bill adds International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism to the treaties listed in the schedule of the Act. It also empowers the officers of the NIA, of the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate cases.

The Act provides that investigation of cases may be conducted by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above.