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GUWAHATI, AUGUST 21: A milestone was achieved on Wednesday at the special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court in Guwahati, where a verdict was given in a 35-year-old case. The court acquitted 31 of the 38 accused, ending one of Assam’s longest trials under the draconian anti-terror law.
The judgement was delivered after almost 25 years of trial in Special TADA Court Case No. 43/2001. Of the 38 accused, three, including ULFA-I chairman Paresh Baruah, are still absconding, and four had died during the trial.
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The case was initially filed in 1991 at Dispur Police Station as Case No. 1/1991. The accused had been charged with causing terror, extortion, and being involved in other illegal acts. The trial officially began in the year 2001 before the Special TADA Court at Guwahati. It was initiated under Section 10(3) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Sections 3 and 4 of the TADA Act, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, or TADA, was established in 1987 to counter terrorism and disruptive activities. It existed from 1985 to 1995, with amendments in 1987, and was effective throughout India. Even though TADA expired in 1995, its impact is felt in India’s counter-terrorism legislation to this day. Its provisions were later incorporated in the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
