Thiruvananthapuram: Following widespread criticism, a committee headed by state police chief Loknath Behera was tasked to review an estimated 162 Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) cases registered in the State since 2012. It found that sections of UAPA were unwarranted in 42 such cases.
According to police sources, the police officers concerned have been directed to file reports at courts to withdraw the UAPA provisions from the 42 cases.
The 42 cases form which UAPA sections would be removed also include cases related to Maoist activities like distribution of posters and call for boycotting elections, said sources.
The controversy over invoking UAPA against activist Nadir in connection with a case related to alleged Maoist activities attracted a lot of bad press and ultimately had to be reviewed. However, a decision on whether to remove UAPA from that case against Nadir is still pending.
CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran had flayed invoking UAPA. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had also cautioned the police against invoking sections of UAPA following the controversies.
Though it was mandatory that sections of UAPA should be invoked only with the consent of the district police chief, it was not being followed.
Majority of the UAPA cases were registered in northern districts like Palakkad, Malappuram and Wayanad.
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