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  Yes, but the UAPA has special bail conditions for a person accused of being involved in a terrorist activity or involved with a terrorist organisation. The accused cannot get bail: Unless the government’s lawyer has heard the bail application.  If the court thinks that there is a reasonable possibility that they actually committed theRead more

Apart from the regular investigation authorities, such as the police, the Government has set up a special National Investigation Agency to investigate and prosecute offences related to explosive substances, atomic energy, nuclear weapons, unlawful activities, terrorist activities, hijacking, etc.   Powers of National Investigation Agency Officers NIA officers have the power to investigate these offencesRead more

  Given below are the authorities under UAPA law- Tribunal The Central Government (when necessary) constitutes a tribunal known as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal, consisting of one person appointed by the government. The Tribunal has the power to decide whether there is enough reason for declaring an association unlawful.    Review Committee The CentralRead more

Crime Punishment Terrorist Activities If it results in death – Punishable with life imprisonment or death, along with a fine In any other case – Punishable with jail time between five years and life imprisonment, along with a fine1 Raising funds for terrorist acts Jail time between five years and life imprisonment, along with aRead more

If the Central Government believes that an organisation or person is involved in terrorism, it can notify them in the official Gazette as a terrorist or terrorist organization respectively. The concerned person or organization can apply to the Government to denotify them. If the Government refuses,  they can apply for a review to the concernedRead more

A terrorist act is any act done with the intention to threaten India’s unity, integrity, security, economic security, or sovereignty, or to terrorise people in India or any foreign country, by:   Using bombs, dynamite, explosive substances, lethal weapons, poisonous gases, other hazardous nuclear substances, etc. likely to cause:  death or injuries to people  propertyRead more

Crime Punishment Committing, aiding, or instigating unlawful activities Jail time up to seven years and a fine1. Being a member of an unlawful association, participating in its meetings, contributing to it or assisting it Jail time up to two years and a fine2. Assisting any unlawful activity of an unlawful association  Jail time up toRead more

Prohibiting funds: If a person has any funds (cash or other resources) which are used for an unlawful association, the Government can pass a written order prohibiting the person from paying, delivering, transferring or dealing with them in any way. However, the Government allows such monetary dealings if they are done according to the conditionsRead more

  Declaring an association as unlawful   If the Central Government believes that any association is, or has become, an unlawful association, it can declare the association as unlawful by publishing an official Gazette notification, usually with reasons for declaring the association as unlawful. The Government will also send the notification to the concerned associationRead more

An unlawful association is a group which tries to commit or commits unlawful activities or any activity punishable under Sections 153A or 153B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Unlawful associations include: Groups which encourage or assist people to participate in such activities. For example, a group who conspires to plan a terrorist attack. MembersRead more

An unlawful activity can be through actions, words (spoken or written), signs or visible representations, etc. An “unlawful activity” under this law can include1: Anything done to bring about the surrender of Indian territory. For example, staging a coup to take over Delhi from the Government’s control. Any action that supports the withdrawal of aRead more

The UAPA applies to anyone who commits a UAPA crime in India or outside India1. It applies to Indian citizens irrespective of where the crime is committed and also includes people in Government service, and people on ships and aircrafts registered in India.   Types of persons Apart from individuals, the UAPA also applies to2Read more

Contempt of court is any action or writing, meant to lower the authority of a court or a Judge or to interfere with the course of justice or the lawful process of the court. The Contempt of Court Act, 1971, defines contempt of court to include two kinds- civil and criminal contempt1. A contempt proceedingRead more

The law is meant to safeguard the public’s faith in the judiciary and its authority1. The law applies to the general public, and prohibits the public from making such remarks against the judiciary. However, this restriction won’t be applicable if the remarks come under any of the defenses given by the law.  The law restrictsRead more

Anyone can file a complaint against a person who has made scandalizing remarks or otherwise stood in contempt against the judiciary1.  However, the contempt proceeding only happens between the court and the alleged offender. The complainant is only an informer, whose duty ends after informing the court. It is open to the court to determineRead more

While anything that lowers the authority of the courts can be considered as contempt, there are certain exceptions given in the law.  Innocent publication and distribution of matter Under the law, if a publication, like a book or article, tends to prejudice any pending court proceeding, such as publicly discussing unsubstantiated evidence, it will amountRead more

The Constitution of India, 1950 empowers the Supreme Court1 and High Courts2 to have the powers to punish for contempt. This means that if a person is held for contempt against any Subordinate Court like the District Court, the respective High Courts of the State, shall have the power to punish such a person3. Here,Read more

When one is held guilty of contempt, they have the option to apologize to the court and save themselves from any other punishments1. However, such an apology should be genuine and not merely a ruse to save oneself from punishment2.  Punishment for Contempt of Court The punishment for civil and criminal contempt is the same.Read more

Any person can file a complaint against a third party on an alleged offence of contempt of court. Such an application can be forwarded to either the Supreme Court, High Court, or to the court of Judicial Commissioner in cases of Union Territories, in the form of a petition. However, such an application can onlyRead more

Contempt of court can happen anywhere – inside court, outside court, on social media. etc. Further, contempt proceedings can be taken up by either the Supreme Court, High Court, or by Tribunals. However, the procedure to initiate proceedings will differ based on the place where the alleged contempt happens. When contempt happens before the courtRead more

The procedure to file a contempt petition depends upon the rules of the respective High Courts and the Supreme Courts. According to the rules of the Supreme Court, a contempt petition should contain: The name, description and place of residence of the complainant(s) and of the persons charged (with the alleged contempt)1.Nature of the contemptRead more

For filing a petition for contempt, a certain amount of court fees have to be paid along with it. For contempt proceedings, the court fees are determined by the rules of the respective High Court or the Supreme Court. However, in the Supreme Court, the court fees do not have to be paid for theRead more

Yes, a person punished for the offence of contempt of court (both civil and criminal contempt) has the right to appeal in the following ways: Punishment Passed By?Who can you appeal to?Time LimitSingle Bench of the High Court Bench of 2 or more Judges of the same High Court30 days1Bench of more than one Judge ofRead more

While driving, it is mandatory to keep a copy of a valid Driving License with you at all times1, and present it to a police officer on demand2. Now, you can also carry an electronic copy of your driving license in the DigiLocker or mParivahan app3. If you hold a valid driving license, but doRead more

You have  to be above a certain age to drive motor vehicles in a public place. Given below are the age limits stipulated by the law: To drive any motor vehicle (except a motorcycle with an engine capacity of less than 50 cc): 18 years 1 To drive a motorcycle with an engine capacity ofRead more

It is mandatory for all motor vehicles, except motorcycles of engine capacity less than 70 cc, to have a Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUC)1.  This certificate indicates that the emissions from your vehicle are under control, and in accordance with the law. This PUC certificate can be easily obtained from any certified pollution check centre,Read more

It is mandatory to register motor vehicles before driving them1, and after getting your vehicle registered, you will receive a Registration Certificate (RC)2. It is mandatory to carry the original copy or electronic copy of the RC and to display a registration mark on your vehicle3.  If you drive or allow a motor vehicle toRead more

Insuring your Vehicle It is mandatory for all vehicles to be insured1, and a Certificate of Insurance is the documented proof that a vehicle has been insured2, which will be issued to you by the insurer. For your vehicle to be validly insured under the law, the following conditions should be met3: The insurance policyRead more

Your vehicle should be mandatorily fitted with an electric horn that is capable of giving sufficient and audible warning that the vehicle is approaching1.  If you own a motor vehicle which does not have a horn, then you will be punished with a fine of at least Rs. 500 for the first offence, and Rs.Read more

Every motor vehicle is supposed to have glass on the windscreen and windows. Sometimes, owners of motor vehicles add black films or dark-tinted films. Under the law, the glass is specified with a Visual Light transmission (VLT), which is the amount of visible light that passes through a lens or glass. For instance, a glassRead more

Anyone who drives a two-wheeler motorcycle has to wear a helmet or protective headgear 1. Further, every person, including children above 4 years of age1, who is riding the two-wheeler motorcycle must also wear a helmet. This headgear must have two features1: It can be reasonably expected to provide a degree of protection from injuryRead more

Every manufactured car has seat belts installed for the safety of the person driving the vehicle, as well as the passengers. If you, or any passenger you have in your car, do not wear a seatbelt, you can be fined for it1. This applies to not only the driver but also the co- passengers. Further,Read more

You cannot use a mobile phone while driving any motor vehicle, as it can pose a danger to the driver and the public. It can also be considered as dangerous driving, for which, you will be punished with: First Time (First Offence): Jail time between 6 months to 1 year or a fine between Rs.Read more

While driving a two-wheeler motorcycle, you have to make sure that:  Only two people, including the driver, are sitting on the two-wheeler motorcycle1.  The second person should be sitting on a proper seat, which is securely fixed to the two motorcycle1.  If you violate these two conditions given above, you can be: Fined for atRead more

Traffic Signals Under the law, a traffic light, traffic signal or a stop light is a signalling device positioned on roads to indicate when it is permissible to drive. The traffic signal passes on its information using a universal color code1: Red Light: Stop the vehicle Yellow Light: Slow down the vehicle/get ready to moveRead more