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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

  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

Kanya Sumangala Yojana is a monetary benefit scheme under which the Uttar Pradesh State government gives each beneficiary Rs. 15,000.

It is a special initiative by the District Administration for the families who lost their sole earning members to Covid-19. A dedicated officer will be appointed as ‘Administration Mitra’ for such families.

PM Kisan Scheme is an initiative of the Government of India to provide 100% funds to the Agriculture Sector. The Government will provide income support of Rs. 6,000/- per year in three equal installments to farmers and their families.

The Uttar Pradesh government launched a welfare scheme for children who have either lost both of their parents to COVID-19 or the earning parent

An accident cover of Rs. 50 Lakh for 90 days to all the healthcare workers. Actual payment by the insurance company will be under the certification by the central/state official.  The scheme will be funded through the NDRF budget operated by the health ministry for this purpose. 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi asked the Rae Bareli district magistrate (DM) to utilize the 1.17 crores of her MPLADS funds for the welfare of the Covid-hit people of her parliamentary constituency. The amount will be spent on the safety and welfare of people in Rae Bareli, and in buying other equipment required in the fight against Covid-19.

The Uttar Pradesh government launched a welfare scheme for children who have either lost both of their parents to COVID-19 or the earning parent.

The state government will pay a child’s guardian or carer Rs 4,000 a month as financial aid, until the child reaches adulthood. Children under the age of ten who are orphaned and have no family will be cared for by state government children’s homes. The state government will also provide an amount of Rs 1,01,000 for the marriage of girls under the age of ten who are orphaned and have no family .

None of the Above (NOTA) is an option which is given to the voters while casting their vote. It allows the voters to not choose any of the listed candidates. The Electronic Voting Machines have the NOTA option at the end of the list of candidates. Read more

The Election Commission is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India. The Commission has a separate Secretariat located at New Delhi.Read more

Force majeure clauses1 are contractual clauses which can change or excuse the parties’ obligations and/or liabilities under a contract when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond their control prevents one or all of them from fulfilling those obligations. For example, if a construction company had to do work for a private company, they can useRead more

If someone is sharing fake news, there are several punishments they may face depending on the nature of the crime. For example, making up and sharing fake news on Covid-19 through Whatsapp can result in a person being punished under the law. Some other punishable offences are: Publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or reportRead more

The punishments for violating lockdown orders are: OffencePunishmentNegligently spreading the infection of diseaseThe punishment is jail time of up to 6 months or/and  fine.1Running away from hospitals during and after the period of testing The punishment is jail time of up to 6 months or/and  fine. 1Disobeying a public servant doing their duty The punishment is jailRead more

In India, the Government’s regulator for drugs CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organization) has allowed two vaccines which are: Covishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine developed in the UK) and Covaxin (by Bharat Biotech).  These vaccines have only received the permit to be used in a restricted manner for emergency situations. This means that they can be used despiteRead more

The Covid-19 vaccine is developed in the following manner1:  Phases of vaccine development or trial Purpose Pre-clinical phaseIn this stage, the vaccine is developed in the laboratory. Phase 1 Clinical trial (8-10 participants)Phase 1 is essential for testing the safety of the vaccine.Phase 2 Clinical trial (50-100 participants)Phase 2 is essential for testing vaccine immunogenicity i.e. production ofRead more

In India, the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 regulates the manufacture and distribution of  drugs and vaccines. Authority regulating vaccines The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) is the main regulatory authority. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is an official member of the CDSCO who is the final regulatory authority for the approvalRead more

The Central Government has released an official Covid-19 tracker app i.e. the Aarogya Setu app. It tracks  community transmission and traces the contact and travel history of individuals who are quarantined, using both location data and Bluetooth-based proximity tracking on users’ phones. This is one means of contact tracing. Certain states also have applications thatRead more

The following Covid-19 tests are done in India1: Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) An antigen refers to any foreign matter or viral proteins in the body that triggers an immune response. This test helps identify the antigens related to the Covid-19 virus. Antigen test, also known as rapid antigen test, is a rapid diagnostic test, butRead more

Typically, the Government response to an epidemic, such as Covid-19, involves two primary laws – the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and the Disaster Management Act, 2005.  The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 (“Epidemic Act”) gives the Central Government as well as State Governments the power to take special measures and prescribeRead more

Trigger Warning: This explainer contains information on physical violence, sexual violence, abuse and slurs which some readers may find disturbing.Read 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

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

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

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