Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA)

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in parts of Nagaland, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh for another six months.
• The extension starts from April 1, 2024, and was determined after a review of the law and order situation in these northeastern states.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• As per the notification, the AFSPA has been extended in the whole of eight districts and 21 police stations in five other districts of
• In Arunachal Pradesh, it has been extended in three districts and areas falling under the jurisdiction of three police stations in Namsai district.
• Assam government issued a notification, stating that the ‘Disturbed Area’ tag under the AFSPA has been extended in areas covering Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo and Sivasagar

ABOUT AFSPA:

• The Act in its original form was promulgated by the British in response to the Quit India movement in 1942.
• After Independence, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru decided to retain the Act, which was first brought in as an ordnance and then notified as an Act in 1958.
• The Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 is an act of Parliament that gives the armed forces the power to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”. It gives the armed forces the authority to use force or even open fire after warning a person who is found to be in contravention of the law.
• A disturbed area is one where the “use of armed forces in aid of civil power is necessary”. Under section 3 of the AFSPA, any area can be declared disturbed due to differences or disputes between members of different religious, racial, language, or regional groups or castes or communities. The power to declare any territory “disturbed” initially lay with the states, but passed to the Centre in
• The AFSPA empowers the Army, para-military, and other security forces to arrest a person without a warrant, enter or search premises without a warrant, along with some other actions.

JEEVAN REDDY COMMITTEE

• In 2005, a Government-appointed five-member committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge, B.P. Jeevan Reddy, recommended that AFSPA be repealed.
• It suggested that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act could be suitably amended to deal with