Though 10,440 arrests were made under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) between 2019 and 2023, only 335 persons have been convicted, while Jammu and Kashmir topped the list for the number of arrests with 3,662 and 23 convictions, and Uttar Pradesh led in the conviction rate with 222 convictions out of 2,805 arrests, according to Union home ministry data tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The figures, submitted during the ongoing winter session of Parliament, were placed before the House by the minister of state for home affairs in response to a question raised by Congress MP Shafi Parambil, and the ministry noted that state-wise data on the number of persons currently lodged in prisons under UAPA charges was not available.
The information was compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which publishes annual statistics on crimes, arrests and convictions across the country, and the numbers once again highlighted the stark gap between arrests and final convictions under the stringent anti-terror law.
Jammu and Kashmir, which has consistently recorded a high number of UAPA cases, accounted for more than a third of all arrests nationwide, yet its conviction count remained low at 23, while Uttar Pradesh registered the largest number of convictions.
Other regions with high arrest numbers included Assam, Manipur and Jharkhand, and the ministry had earlier informed Parliament that only two UAPA cases filed between 2018 and 2022 had been quashed by courts, indicating a low rate of judicial rejection despite widespread criticism.
The law, enacted in 1967 and expanded through successive amendments, has long drawn scrutiny from civil liberties groups, and concerns deepened after the 2019 amendment that allowed individuals to be designated as terrorists without a judicial process.
The period between 2019 and 2023 witnessed several high-profile arrests, including those of journalists, human-rights defenders and activists, and the data renewed debates on whether the legislation is being applied proportionately or used in ways that curb dissent rather than address terrorism.