Why in news
Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the newly appointed Governor of Manipur, conducted a security review meeting the day after assuming office.
Suggested the use of stringent legal provisions, such as the National Security Act, 1980, to detain miscreants and troublemakers for up to a year without trial.
The NSA is a preventive detention law enacted in 1980 to maintain public order and national security.
Preventive Detention involves the detainment (containment) of a person in order to keep him/her from committing future crimes and/or from escaping future prosecution.
Article 22 (3) (b) of the Constitution allows for preventive detention and restriction on personal liberty for reasons of state security and public order.
Article 22(4) states that no law providing for preventive detention shall authorize the detention of a person for a longer period than three months.
Powers to the Government:
The NSA empowers the Centre or a State government to detain a person to prevent him from acting in any manner prejudicial to national security.
The government can also detain a person to prevent him from disrupting public order or for maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community.
The maximum period for which one may be detained is 12 months.
The act also provides for the constitution of a National Security Council, which advises the Prime Minister on matters relating to national security.
The NSC in India is a high-level body that advises the Prime Minister of India on matters related to national security, strategic policy, and defense.
The NSC is chaired by the Prime Minister.
It was formed in 1998, where all aspects of national security are deliberated upon
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