Reading IV of XII · Act 28 of 2019
॥ यूएपीए संशोधन ॥
— Penal · in force since 14 Aug 2019 —
Empowered the Centre to designate individuals — not just organisations — as terrorists. Statistics on use remain scattered.
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The amendment changed the legal object from the banned organisation to the named person.
Editorial readingThe Government argued that terrorism no longer moved only through organisations. It moved through individuals, fronts, aliases, and networks. If the law could ban a group, it should also be able to name the person who sustains that group.
The anxiety was equally direct: designation without a prior conviction can operate as punishment before trial. The amendment moved UAPA’s stigma from organisations to named individuals and expanded the Centre’s power to publish that designation in the Fourth Schedule.
The Bill passed both Houses with recorded divisions and no committee referral. Opposition criticism focused less on anti-terror policy as such, and more on process, review, and the danger of branding dissent.
| House | Date | Aye | No | Abs | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rajya Sabha | 2 Aug 2019 | 147 | 42 | 0 | ≈ 6 |
| Lok Sabha | 24 Jul 2019 | 287 | 8 | 0 | ≈ 4 |
The amendment changed the legal object from the banned organisation to the named person.
Editorial readingThe public record does not maintain an easy dashboard of individual designations, review outcomes, time to de-notification, and acquittal or conviction status.
Supporters read the amendment as a necessary response to networked terrorism and proxy organisations.
Support readingCritics read it as reputational punishment without a criminal conviction, with review safeguards too weak to cure the harm.
Critique readingUAPA already had unusually harsh bail consequences. The 2019 amendment added a naming power. The practical question became whether the designation list would remain a security instrument or become a public blacklist.