Only 2.2 % of cases registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act between the years 2016 and 2019 ended in convictions by court, according to data presented by the Union Home Ministry in the Rajya Sabha.

Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy informed the Upper House that as per the 2019 Crime in India Report compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau, the total number of persons arrested under the Act in 2019 is 1,948.

“Further, the total number of the persons arrested and the persons convicted in the years from 2016 to 2019 under the UAPA in the country are 5,922 and 132, respectively. The NCRB does not maintain this data on the basis of religion, race, caste or gender,” the Minister stated.

In another reply, the Minister stated that in the year 2019, as many as 96 persons were arrested for sedition (Section 194A IPC) but only two were convicted and 29 persons were acquitted. Of the 93 cases of sedition, the chargesheet was filed in 40 cases the same year.

When asked about the steps taken to strengthen the sedition law in the country, the Minister stated, “Amendment of laws is an ongoing process.”

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