{"id":65584,"date":"2025-09-29T10:37:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T05:07:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=65584"},"modified":"2025-09-29T11:03:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T05:33:39","slug":"sonam-wangchuk-detained-under-nsa-key-facts-on-preventive-detention-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/sonam-wangchuk-detained-under-nsa-key-facts-on-preventive-detention-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Sonam Wangchuk Detained Under NSA | Key Facts on Preventive Detention Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>National Security Act Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, leading the movement for Ladakh\u2019s statehood and Sixth Schedule protections, was detained under the <\/span><b>National Security Act (NSA)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and shifted to <\/span><b>Jodhpur jail<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Centre blamed him for allegedly instigating violent protests in Leh, where four people were killed in police firing and 50 injured.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The case has drawn attention to the <\/span><b>NSA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, one of India\u2019s toughest preventive detention laws, used in the past against <\/span><b>separatists, gangsters, and radical preachers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The law allows governments to pre-emptively detain individuals deemed a threat to public order or national security.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>About Preventive Detention<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Preventive detention is the practice of detaining a person not for a crime already committed, but to prevent them from acting in a manner that could threaten public order, security, or essential supplies.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It aims to stop potential harm before it occurs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Difference from Punitive Detention<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Preventive detention<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Detains individuals to prevent a future act considered harmful. It is anticipatory in nature.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Punitive detention<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Imposed as punishment after conviction for an offence already committed, based on due process of law.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Constitutional Provision<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Indian Constitution permits preventive detention under <\/span><b>Article 22<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article 22 has two parts\u2014the first part deals with cases of ordinary law, which includes situations where an individual is detained as part of a criminal investigation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second part deals with cases of preventive detention law, which pertains to the detention of individuals without a trial or conviction.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A person can be detained up to 3 months without Advisory Board approval; beyond that, detention requires approval by an Advisory Board of judges.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grounds of detention must be communicated, but certain facts may be withheld in public interest.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Preventive Detention and the NSA<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Preventive detention in India traces back to colonial times and was institutionalised post-Independence through the <\/span><b>Preventive Detention Act, 1950<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was followed by the controversial <\/span><b>Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), 1971<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, repealed after the Emergency.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1980, the <\/span><b>National Security Act (NSA)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was enacted, empowering the Centre, states, District Magistrates, and Police Commissioners (when authorised) to detain individuals pre-emptively.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike punitive arrests under criminal law, <\/span><b>NSA detention is preventive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, aimed at stopping individuals from acting in ways \u201cprejudicial to India\u2019s defence, foreign relations, national security, public order, or essential supplies.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Act gives governments wide-ranging powers to address threats, while incorporating certain procedural safeguards to check misuse.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What the NSA Provides<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the National Security Act (NSA), detention orders function like warrants of arrest, allowing authorities to hold individuals in designated places, transfer them across states, and impose conditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grounds of detention must be communicated within 5 to 15 days, and detainees can submit a representation to the government.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An Advisory Board of High Court judges must review the case within 3 weeks and order release if there is \u201cno sufficient cause.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Detention can last up to 12 months, though it may be revoked earlier.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, safeguards are limited:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">detainees cannot have legal representation before the Advisory Board, and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the government may withhold facts citing public interest, leaving significant powers in official hands.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Wangchuk\u2019s Legal Remedies<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sonam Wangchuk can challenge his detention under the NSA by filing a representation to the government or await the Advisory Board\u2019s review within three weeks, which must order release if no sufficient cause is found.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He may also approach the High Court or Supreme Court under Articles 226 or 32 to contest the legality of detention.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, the government itself may revoke the order at any stage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Until these processes conclude, the NSA permits detention without formal charges or open-court evidence, giving authorities wide leeway in holding him.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Past Use and Misuse of the NSA<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked in several high-profile cases.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2023, radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh was detained under NSA and moved to Dibrugarh jail.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad was booked in 2017, though the order was later revoked by the Supreme Court.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the anti-CAA protests (2020), multiple protesters in Uttar Pradesh were detained under the Act.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The law has also targeted individuals such as Dr Kafeel Khan, whose 2020 detention was struck down by the Allahabad High Court.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">States like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have applied NSA in \u201cLove Jihad\u201d cases, communal violence, cow slaughter, and habitual crime, often <\/span><b>stretching its definition of national security<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Courts have intervened in cases of misuse: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in 2012, the Supreme Court struck down the detention of a man accused of kerosene black-marketing as unjustified<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These instances show a pattern where governments justify NSA as vital for security, while critics denounce it as a blunt instrument prone to abuse.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/national-security-act-detain-sonam-wangchuk-10274411\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scobserver.in\/journal\/the-constitutional-sanction-for-preventive-detention-reeks-of-a-fear-of-freedom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">SCO<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/india\/why-sonam-wangchuk-has-been-detained-under-nsa\/articleshow\/124174172.cms?from=mdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ET<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk held under NSA amid Ladakh protests. Know preventive detention rules, NSA powers, safeguards, and history of misuse in India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":65607,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,2956,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-65584","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-national-security-act","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}