Anti-Terror Law UAPA Being Used To Stifle Dissent, Jail People?
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, is an anti-terror law that makes bail difficult for those charged under it. Whether it's Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan or Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan, bail has been elusive even in cases where the application of the law seems arbitrary. The law in the recent past has been used against journalists, academics, students and activists to suppress dissent. In most UAPA cases, the accused spend years in prison as courts are reluctant to grant bail. In such cases, when acquittals come ultimately, the accused have already lost years of their lives, like Mohammed Irfan and Mohammed Ilyas from Nanded in Maharashtra.
