5,690 held under UAPA in five years, just 5% convicted, none in Punjab

A total of 5,690 people were arrested between 2019 and 2023 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act across all 28 states, but only 288 — a mere 5 per cent — were convicted. In 2023, of the 1,686 persons arrested under the law, just 84, or 4.98 per cent, were convicted.

In Punjab, 259 persons were arrested under UAPA in these five years; however, none have been convicted so far, according to official Union Home Ministry figures. In 2023, Punjab ranked fifth among states with 50 arrests under UAPA, but recorded zero convictions.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) too showed almost negligible conviction rates during the five-year period as well as in 2023.

Uttar Pradesh topped the states in 2023 in arrests under UAPA, with 1,122 persons taken into custody, of whom only 75 — 6.68 per cent — were convicted. Assam, Manipur and Meghalaya followed with 154, 130 and 71 arrests, respectively. However, except for one conviction in Assam, these states recorded no convictions under the law.

In Punjab, arrests under UAPA rose from 30 in 2019 to 44 in 2020 and 49 in 2021, before surging to 86 in 2022. The figure dropped to 50 in 2023. Despite this rise, there were no convictions in the state over the five-year period.

In J&K, 3,662 persons were arrested under UAPA between 2019 and 2023, but only 23 — 0.62 per cent — were convicted. In 2023, 1,206 persons were arrested and 10 convicted, reflecting a conviction rate of 0.8 per cent.

Since 2019, when J&K was reorganised as a Union Territory, arrests under UAPA have steadily increased — from 227 in 2019 to 346 in 2020, 645 in 2021 and 1,238 in 2022. In 2023, arrests marginally declined to 1,206. Convictions remained low: zero in 2019 and 2021, two in 2020, 11 in 2022 and 10 in 2023.