AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act)

Definition

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, which grants special powers to the armed forces in areas declared "disturbed", including the power to use force, search, and arrest with legal protections.

Key points

• Applies in areas notified as "disturbed" by the Centre or State (originally the north-east, later also Jammu and Kashmir).
• Powers include using force (even to the point of causing death) against those breaking the law in a disturbed area, arrest without warrant, and search.
• Prosecution of personnel requires prior sanction from the central government.
• Long debated for its human-rights implications; reviewed by committees such as the Jeevan Reddy Committee (2005).
• Periodically withdrawn from parts of the north-east as the security situation improves.

Why it matters for CAPF

It sits at the core of the security-versus-human-rights balance that CAPF tests, and directly concerns force operations in disturbed areas.

Common confusion

AFSPA applies to the "armed forces" in disturbed areas; do not confuse it with general criminal procedure or with the NSA (preventive detention).

Parent note

human rights and internal security