The Hindu Saturday published its data analysis report on the growing number of cases under three statutes: the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and Section 153 of the Indian Penal Code, aimed promoting enmity between religious groups.

The data reflects that, between 2018 and2020, 4,690 individuals were arrested under UAPA and only 3 percent were convicted. Similarly, 5,422 cases have been filed under the PMLA with 23 convictions. In Uttar Pradesh, 1338 individuals were arrested under the UAPA and only 6 percent were convicted. The remaining 94 percent were detained because of the rigid bail threshold. In 2020 UN experts warned that the UAPA is frequently employed to target religious minorities, political dissidents and human rights activists. In Jammu and Kashmir, now union territory, approximately 750 individuals were arrested under the UAPA with a zero percent conviction rate.

On September 9, the Supreme Court of India (SCI) granted bail to Journalist Siddique Kappan; Kappan was arrested in October 2020 and detained for 704 days. Kappan’s arrest was condemned by human rights organisations, but the Allahabad High Court  rejected his bail applications on many occasions.