New Delhi: Figures released by the Union home ministry in the Rajya Sabha have backed up the belief that the ‘process is the punishment‘, especially when cases are registered under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
In a written reply to a question by CPI(M) MP A.A. Rahim in the Rajya Sabha, Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai revealed that a total of 5,027 cases – in which 24,134 people are accused – were registered under the UAPA from 2016 to 2020 in various parts of the country.
According to the home ministry, just 212 of the 24,134 people were convicted, while 386 people who were accused under the UAPA have been acquitted.
The data reveals that an overwhelming majority (97.5%) of people arrested under the anti-terror law – which makes obtaining bail virtually impossible – have been imprisoned for multiple years while waiting for trial. The figures show that 3,047 people have been undertrial prisoners since 2016, 4,098 since 2017, 4,862 since 2018, 5,645 since 2019 and 6,482 since 2020.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.