National Security Act (India)

The National Security Act, 1980
Parliament of India
Long title An Act to provide for preventive detention in certain cases and for matters connected therewith.
Citation	Act No. 65 of 1980
Territorial extent	India
Enacted by	Parliament of India
Assented to	27 December 1980
Signed by	Neelam Sanjiva Reddy President of India
Commenced	27 December 1980
Keywords
Central Government, State Government, detention order, foreigner
Status: In force

The National Security Act of 1980 is an act of the Indian Parliament promulgated on 23 September 1980^[1] whose purpose is "to provide for preventive detention in certain cases and for matters connected therewith".^[2] The act extends to the whole of India. It Contains 18 sections. This act empowers the Central Government and State Governments to detain a person to prevent him/her from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of India, the relations of India with foreign countries, the maintenance of public order, or the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community it is necessary so to do. The act also gives power to the governments to detain a foreigner in a view to regulate his presence or expel from the country. The act was passed in 1980 during the Indira Gandhi Government.^[3]

As per a 1993 report 72.3 percent of 3783 people under the law were later released due to lack of evidence.^[4]