Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act
E570638
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act is a controversial Indian law that grants special powers to the military in designated "disturbed areas," including broad authority to use force and make arrests with limited legal accountability.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Indian statute
ⓘ
security legislation ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
Central Armed Police Forces in certain contexts
ⓘ
Indian Armed Forces NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
counterinsurgency operations
ⓘ
internal security operations ⓘ |
| controversialFor |
alleged human rights violations
ⓘ
limited legal accountability for security forces ⓘ |
| country | India ⓘ |
| criticizedBy |
civil society groups in India
ⓘ
human rights organizations ⓘ international human rights bodies ⓘ |
| declaringAuthority |
Central Government of India
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
State Government NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| enactedBy | Parliament of India NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| enforcementBody |
Indian Air Force in certain circumstances
ⓘ
Indian Army NERFINISHED ⓘ Indian paramilitary forces in notified areas ⓘ |
| hasFeature |
absence of mandatory independent investigation mechanisms in the text of the Act
ⓘ
broad discretion granted to officers on the ground ⓘ |
| impactOn |
civil liberties in disturbed areas
ⓘ
relationship between civilians and security forces ⓘ |
| justifiedBySupportersAs | necessary for combating insurgency ⓘ |
| keyProvision |
authorizes arrest without warrant in disturbed areas
ⓘ
authorizes search without warrant in disturbed areas ⓘ authorizes use of force, including lethal force, under certain conditions ⓘ provides legal immunity to armed forces personnel for actions taken under the Act ⓘ |
| legalDomain |
military law
ⓘ
national security law ⓘ public law ⓘ |
| legalEffect |
expands powers of armed forces in notified areas
ⓘ
restricts ability to prosecute security personnel without prior sanction ⓘ |
| opposedByCriticsAs | incompatible with democratic and human rights standards ⓘ |
| primaryPurpose | grant special powers to the armed forces in disturbed areas ⓘ |
| regulates | conduct of armed forces in disturbed areas ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Indian Constitution provisions on public order and security
ⓘ
disturbed area notifications ⓘ |
| requires |
declaration of an area as a disturbed area by government
ⓘ
prior sanction of central government for prosecution of personnel acting under the Act ⓘ |
| shortName | AFSPA NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subjectOf |
debate in Indian Parliament
ⓘ
judicial review and litigation in Indian courts ⓘ public protests in affected regions ⓘ |
| usedIn |
Assam
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Jammu and Kashmir NERFINISHED ⓘ Manipur NERFINISHED ⓘ Nagaland NERFINISHED ⓘ other parts of Northeast India ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.