Repeal UAPA

The statute has no place in a democracy

The death of the priest Stan Swamy, who was arrested in October last year under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, offers the government an opportunity to revisit this 54-year-old law. As with the outmoded sedition laws, the UAPA is out of sync with a country that flaunts democratic credentials in international forums. The UAPA in its current form is an inversion of basic legal precepts. It enables the state to arrest and incarcerate citizens almost indefinitely. Bail under the law is extremely difficult to obtain, since courts are required to depend on police documents to presume the guilt