Criminalisation of passive membership under the UAPA
The running motif of the recent Supreme Court judgment on the UAPA (and POTA and TADA) is that under the guise of sovereignty and integrity of the nation, the Parliament can do anything and pass any law. The judgment is likely to lead to more arrests and denial of bail, and further stigmatise dissidents and their work. It virtually sanctions a police State.
Mihir Desai is a human rights lawyer, practising as senior counsel in the High Court of Bombay and Supreme Court of India. He has represented several human rights activists including the late Stan Swamy and victims of communal violence including Zakia Jafri