136 arrests, two convictions under OSA in 2019-21, Rajya Sabha told
In a written reply to a question by MP and CPI leader Binoy Viswam, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said a chargesheet has been filed in 110 cases while trial is pending in 354 cases.
The OSA has its roots in the Colonial era. The original version was The Indian Official Secrets Act (Act XIV), 1889. Between 2019 and 2021, 136 people were arrested under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and two were convicted, the government told the Rajya Sabha Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question by MP and CPI leader Binoy Viswam, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said a chargesheet has been filed in 110 cases while trial is pending in 354 cases.
The minister said 39 cases were registered in 2019, 39 cases in 2020, and 55 cases in 2021.
“Highest cases were registered in Maharashtra where six cases were lodged in 2019, 10 cases in 2020 and 21 cases in 2021. Maharashtra was followed by Punjab where seven cases were lodged in 2019, four cases in 2020 and 8 cases in 2021. In Uttar Pradesh, four cases were registered in 2019, six cases in 2020 and five cases lodged in 2021,” Rai said.
Responding to the answer, Viswam said: “(PM) Narendra Modi makes bold claims on National Security. The reality is that the government’s record on national security is very poor. Several cases of espionage, honey trap and compromised officials have come to light but no action is in sight. Laws concerning national security are being misused to harass activists. The truth is out in courts where the government could get conviction in 1 per cent of cases only.”
Of the two convicted persons, one was convicted in Maharashtra in 2020, while another was convicted in Punjab in 2021, Rai said.
The OSA has its roots in the Colonial era. The original version was The Indian Official Secrets Act (Act XIV), 1889. This was brought in with the main objective of muzzling the voice of a large number of newspapers that had come up in several languages, and were opposing the Raj’s policies, building political consciousness and facing police crackdowns and prison terms. It was amended and made more stringent in the form of The Indian Official Secrets Act, 1904, during Lord Curzon’s tenure as Viceroy of India. In 1923, a newer version was notified. The Indian Official Secrets Act (Act No XIX of 1923) was extended to all matters of secrecy and confidentiality in governance in the country.
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