New Delhi: The conviction rate in cases registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by the Centre is more than 94 per cent, Union Minister Nityanand Rai informed Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Responding to supplementaries during the Question Hour, Minister of State for Home Rai said the conviction rate in some categories such as "jihadi terrorism" and "Left-wing extremism" in which the Centre registered the cases was 100 per cent.
The total conviction rate in cases under the UAPA where the FIRs were registered by the Centre is 94.17 per cent, the minister said. Rai, however, said that the conviction rate in cases registered by states under the UAPA during 2018-2020 has been low.
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Responding to queries by some opposition members who cited data to target the government over low conviction rates, he said the states also use this law and the data in the written reply pertains to them. As per government data, only 80 people were convicted out of 1,321 arrested under the law in 2020, a conviction rate of just six per cent.
Similarly in 2019, 34 persons were convicted against 1,948 arrested, a conviction rate of only 1.7 per cent. In 2018, 35 people were convicted out of 1,421 arrested under the UAPA, a conviction rate of 2.46 per cent. "Religion-wise data regarding the number of people arrested under the UAPA is not maintained by the NCRB," Rai said. The minister asserted that the Modi government has adopted a policy of "zero tolerance" against terror activities. (PTI)
