afspa- What is AFSPA Power

afspa- What is AFSPA Power

government struggling to craft its stance on the contentious question of withdrawal of Armed Forces ( Special Powers) Act from some parts of J&K,
What is AFSPA Power:-
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), was passed on September 11, 1958, by the Parliament of India. It conferred special powers upon armed forces in what the act calls “disturbed areas” in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. It was later extended to Jammu and Kashmir as The Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 in July 1990
The Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 as on Sep 13, 2010

The Act allows an officer of the armed forces to
Fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death, against any person who is acting in contravention of any law against assembly of five or more persons or possession of deadly weapons.

• To arrest without a warrant and with the use of necessary force anyone who has committed certain offenses or is suspected of having done so

• To enter and search any premise in order to make such arrests.

The act also bestows legal immunity to the officials, which means that they can not be sued or prosecuted.
The Act has been active in the Indian administrated state of Jammu and Kashmir since 1990. It came under the scanner following three-month long violence in the state since July 2010.

Download  ARMED FORCES (SPECIAL POWERS) ACT, 1958