42% Of Anti-Terror Law Arrests In J&K, Conviction Rate Below 1%: Centre

The Union Home Ministry has informed Parliament that Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) continues to lead the country in arrests under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), even as its conviction rate remains below 1 percent.

Responding to a question by Congress MP from Palakkad, Shafi Parambil, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said a total of 2,914 people were arrested under UAPA across India in 2023. Of these, 1,206 arrests around 42% were made in J&K alone.

Despite the high number of arrests, the Union Territory recorded only 10 convictions, bringing the conviction rate to 0.8%, one of the lowest in the country.

Rai emphasised that police and public order fall under the domain of state governments, while the Centre compiles the data through the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). He also clarified that while NCRB maintains records of arrests and convictions, it does not maintain state-wise data on the number of persons currently imprisoned under UAPA.

UP Saw Sharp Rise in UAPA Arrests

After J&K, Uttar Pradesh ranked second with 1,122 UAPA arrests in 2023. The state witnessed a dramatic spike in arrests more than doubling from 503 arrests in 2022 to 1,122 in 2023. In contrast, J&K saw a marginal dip, with arrests dropping from 1,238 in 2022 to 1,206 in 2023.

The national capital recorded 22 UAPA arrests in 2023, five fewer than in the previous year. Overall, the country saw a 4% conviction rate for UAPA cases in 2023.

According to the Home Ministry's data, 1,686 persons were arrested under UAPA across 28 states and 1,228 persons were arrested in seven Union Territories.

Uttar Pradesh accounted for 66% of all UAPA arrests in states, while Jammu & Kashmir made up 98% of UAPA arrests among Union Territories, underscoring its continued prominence in national security-related detentions.

Centre Reiterates Zero-Tolerance Policy

In a separate reply, MoS Nityanand Rai said the government follows a "zero-tolerance policy" toward any activity that threatens the "sovereignty, unity, integrity, and security" of India.

He said stringent action is being taken under UAPA to curb extremist, separatist, and anti-national activities.

Over the past five years, the Centre has declared 23 organisations as Unlawful Associations under the Act  many of them linked to militancy in the Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir.

What is UAPA?

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, often described as India's anti-terror law, allows the government to act against individuals and organisations engaged in activities deemed harmful to the country's sovereignty and integrity.

The Act empowers the Centre to designate organisations as terrorist groups if they: Commit or participate in terrorism, Prepare for terrorism, Promote terrorism, Are otherwise involved in terrorist activities.

The 2019 amendment significantly expanded the law's scope by allowing the government to designate individuals as terrorists without a formal judicial process.