Poor conviction rate under UAPA
4690 persons arrested, 149 convictions only in 3 years
Dismal performance in Maharashtra, Kerala
The Centre declared the Popular Front of India (PFI) an “unlawful association” and banned it under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) this morning. But the data obtained from official sources showed that Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Assam top the ladder in the country in arresting persons under the UAPA and not Kerala which is considered a den of PFI activities. Of the 4690 persons arrested during 2018-2020 period, UP, Manipur and Assam which are ruled by the BJP, account for more than 50% arrests. These three states together arrested 2619 persons during the three year period. Surprisingly, 149 persons were convicted under the UAPA during the three year period.
The data showed that Kerala was at the bottom in action under UPAP during this period. Kerala arrested only 55 persons under the UAPA and not a single conviction took place. The conviction rate in three BJP-ruled states was also poor with 83 convictions in UP and nil in Assam and Manipur. If UP arrested 1338 persons under UAPA in three years, its conviction was less than one percent. Manipur arrested 943 persons while Assam put 338 persons behind bars during this period. In Maharashtra where PFI was active, only seven persons were arrested under the UAPA during the three year period with no convictions. In West Bengal only five persons were arrested under UAPA in three years with no conviction.
According to a report by the National Crime Record Bureau, only 149 persons were convicted against the arrests of 4690 persons in the country during the three year period. The troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a rise in arrests and convictions during this period. If 177 persons were arrested during 2018, the number went up to 227 next year and 346 in 2020 which is highest in any other state. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa, Haryana, Mizoram, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and a couple of others witnessed no case under UAPA.
