'Anti-national' not defined in statutes, inserted during Emergency: Govt

New Delhi: The term "anti-national' was not defined in the statutes or the Constitution but it was inserted in the latter during the Emergency by the then Congress regime in 1976 through a Constitutional amendment, but was omitted next year, the Parliament was told on Tuesday.

The word "anti-national" was not mentioned in statutes, however, there are criminal legislations and various judicial pronouncements to sternly deal with unlawful and subversive activities which are detrimental to the unity and integrity of the country," Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told the Lok Sabha in a written reply to the question by AIMIM member Asaduddin Owaisi.

The word "anti-national was inserted in the Constitution through the Forty-Second Amendment, 1976 as Article 31D to define "anti-national activity".

Owaisi had asked whether the government has defined the meaning of "anti-national" under any legislation or rules or any other legal enactment that is enforced in the country and whether the Supreme Court has prescribed any guidelines to deal with crimes relating to "anti-national" activity.

Rai also said that Article 31D was removed from the Constitution by the Forty-Third Amendment in 1977.