As we live in democratic country but nowadays freedom of speech and expression are suppress by UAPA Act, AFSPA Act, NSA Act, IT Act etc itself. News channel become so called bias and farmers are ill treated because they raise their voice against irrelevant farm laws.
Tools to suppress the Indian Democracy
Income Tax Act
Income Tax officers visited the offices of news sites NewsClick and Newslaundry. Income Tax raid on two news sites (1) NewsClick and (2) Newslaundry on 10th of September. Latter they called it Income tax survey after a long acquisition of common people arise that independent News channel targeted because they ask question by government and it’s policies.
Newslaundry official site stated that “A team from the Income Tax department came to the registered office of Newslaundry at approximately 12:15 in the afternoon on the 10th of September and conducted a “survey” under section 133 A as per the document shown to me. They left the premises at around 12:40 am on the 11th of September. I was told I cannot speak to my lawyer and have to hand over my phone.”
Recently Actor Sonu Sood’s offices in Mumbai and a company in Lucknow linked to him were raided by the Income Tax department on 15th September 2021, sources said. A recent deal between Sonu Sood’s company and a Lucknow-based real estate firm is under the scanner. The survey operation has been initiated on allegations of tax evasion on this deal,” sources in the Income Tax department claimed.
Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)
After informing the Lok Sabha that nearly 350 persons had died in police custody in the last three years, the government on Wednesday said that 1,948 people had been arrested under the controversial Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in 2019
As many as 34 other people were convicted under the anti-terror law which critics have repeatedly dubbed as ‘draconian’.
Armed Forces (Special powers) Act
Armed Forces (Special powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 is an Act of the Indian Parliament which empowers the nation\’s Army to conduct search, arrest or shoot to kill people without warrant.
AFSPA can be invoked in areas which the government identifies as ‘disturbed’, under the Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act 1976. The central or state government considers an area ‘disturbed’ when there is a ‘possible dispute or disharmony among the people or against the state central government or active insurgency’. As per law, an area has to maintain status quo for three months when declared ‘disturbed’.
National Security Act (NSA)
Police FIRs that cut and paste key details across different locations; detention orders signed by District Magistrates that show “non-application of mind”; denial of due process to the accused; repeated use of the law to block bail — in case after case, the Allahabad High Court has red-flagged the way the UP government has used the draconian National Security Act (NSA) which gives the state powers to arrest without formal charge or trial.
Cow slaughter, records show, is Category Number One when it comes to invoking NSA: it accounts for 41 cases, more than a third of the total that reached the High Court. All the accused are from the minority community and were detained by the District Magistrate based on FIRs alleging cow slaughter.
In 30 of these cases — more than 70% — the High Court came down heavily on the UP administration: it quashed the NSA order and called for the release of the petitioner.
Note: People asking are we free in a democratic state like India.