A plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday challenging the constitutional validity of the amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on the ground that these infringed upon the fundamental rights of citizens.
The bill for amendments to the UAPA was passed by Parliament on August 2 and it received the President’s ascent on August 9. The amended Act allows the Centre to designate individuals as terrorists and seize their properties.
The UAPA Amendment Act, 2019 also provides for putting a travel ban on such individuals once they are declared as terrorists. The petition has been filed by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), an NGO, which said the amendments infringed upon the fundamental right to reputation and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution, without substantive and procedural due process.