UNLAWFUL ACITIVITIES (PREVENTION) AMENDMENT BILL 2019. Shajeeda Tajdeen BASICS OF LAW Tue, Aug 06, 2019, at ,11:31 AM The Rajya Sabha on Friday (02/08/2019) gave its assent to one of the most controversial bill i.e. the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill 2019. This Bill aims to empower the Union Government to declare an individual as a terrorist if the Union Government has reasons to believe so. The said Bill was with a majority of 147 ‘yes’ votes against 42 ‘no’ votes. The Bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha on 24th July itself and was waiting for its approval in the Lower House. Powers which will be rendered with the Central Government by virtue of this Bill are as follows: Firstly, the Government will have the entire authority of declaring any organization as a terrorist organization, by incorporating them in the First Schedule. Secondly, under the Act, the Union Government will be allowed to identify any organization as a terrorist organization in the following scenarios: Promotes terrorism Prepares for terrorism Commits or participates in acts of terrorism Is otherwise involved or relates to terrorism Thirdly, the amendment also aspires to authorize the Central Government to designate an individual as terrorists if any one of the above conditions is satisfied. Fourthly, the amendment also offers to add a ‘Fourth Schedule’ to the principal act which shall consist the names of the individual who will be designated as terrorists. The individual whose name shall appear in the Fourth Schedule shall be given an opportunity to the challenge the designation of terrorist, before the Review Committee established by the Central Government. The officers of NIA who are at the rank of inspectors or above are entrusted with additional authority to investigate such cases. The question that arises with the advent of this amendment is that, how fairly will this be implemented? There are chances that this would create an imbalance of power in the dealings with the state machinery and ordinary citizen. This bill how much ever-useful will have its own repercussions if used arbitrarily. Designating individuals as terrorist somewhere down the lines hinders with the fundamental rights of equality and life, because the tag of ‘terrorism’ is itself enough to make one’s life a living hell, whether the same is proven or not.