"UAPA" in its present form is constitutionally valid. The petition fails.” ruled the Bombay High Court bench of Justice AS Gadkari and Justice Neela Gokhale, dismissing a petition questioning the constitutional validity of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), an anti- terror law. 

The UAPA law is often censured for being used as a tool to target dissenters and designate organizations and individuals as terrorists.

The petitioner, Anil Baburao Baile, challenged the validity of the law after he was issued a notice in 2020, in connection with the 2018 Elgar Parishad case. He argued that the law is misused to suppress dissent. A similar challenge is pending before the Delhi High Court.

The Supreme Court had in February this year allowed the High Courts to adjudicate on challenges to the amendments of the Act observing that the Apex court should not be the court of first instance unless it is an exceptional case.

A detailed copy of the judgment is awaited.

Source: News