Hyderabad: The constitutional validity of UAPA challenged in Supreme Court

Hyderabad: Challenging the constitutional validity of the impugned Unlawful Activities Prevention (Amendment ) Act of 2019, Nawab Mohammed Kazam Ali Khan, the president of Ambedkar National Congress, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court and prayed to the Court to issue an appropriate writ, order or direction to declare the impugned Act as unconstitutional and as violative of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the

Constitution of India. He also requested the Court to pass any other appropriate order or relief in the interest of justice, equity and good conscience.

The writ petition was filed, expressing apprehensions over government discretion to designate anyone as 'terrorist.' It would significantly endanger and limit the exercise of free expression secured under the Article 19 of the Constitution. Khan submitted that the impugned Act was an exposition of disproportionate appropriation of legislative powers and it makes mockery of constitutionality prescribed and protected principles of fair trial ad rule of law. Therefore the impugned act must be set aside.

The petitioner appealed that the court pass such orders as deemed appropriate, to ensure that constitutional guarantees made in the fundamental rights to the individuals were not trampled upon in the garb of maintaining national security. He questioned the way the bill was passed in the Parliament, without broad consensus and debate at national level. The Union Minister of Home Amit Shah presented the Bill in Parliament on July 8, 2019 and on the same day it received the consent of the President of India.