Supreme Court slams Chhattisgarh Police for misusing UAPA to block bail

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday chastised the Chhattisgarh Police for deliberately adding charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against a person, holding that the action was solely to defeat the top court's earlier order granting him interim protection from arrest in another case.

Coming down heavily on the state police, a division bench headed by Justice AS Oka termed the police action to arrest the person citing UAPA as "hasty", and verbally remarked that the concerned police officer had committed "grossest impropriety". It also warned of contempt of court action against the police officer.

The court granted bail to the accused, a person named Manish Rathore. The bench also made absolute its January 2 interim order granting him protection from arrest in a criminal case.


After the SC's interim order in January, the police officer had moved the sessions judge for adding UAPA charges to another FIR which was already registered and in which the accused had already been granted bail prior to January 2.

The counsel for the state tried to defend the conduct of the police official by arguing that the accused had jumped bail earlier and that there was material to indicate that he was involved in Naxalite activities.