Preventive Detentions:
Preventive detentions in 2021 saw a rise by over 23.7% compared with the year before, with over 1.1 lakh people being placed under preventive detention, according to statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
- Of these, 483 were detentions under the National Security Act, of which almost half (241) were either in custody or still detained as of 2021-end.
- Over 24,500 people placed under preventive detention were either in custody or still detained as of 2021-end,the highest since 2017 when the NCRB started recording this data.
- The number of persons placed under detention has been increasing since 2017 to over 98,700 in 2018 and over 1.06 lakh in 2019 before dipping to 89,405 in 2020.
- According to Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the police are empowered to make preventive arrests if they believe they must do so to prevent the commission of “any cognisable offence”.
- This detention can be extended beyond 24 hours if required “under any other provisions of this Code or of any other law”.
