The Chandigarh Administration has issued an order conferring the District Magistrate with the power to detain under the draconian National Security Act (NSA), 1980 for a period of three months, with effect from February 26.

The NSA is a stringent law that allows preventive detention for months, if authorities are satisfied that a person is a threat to national security or law and order.

The person detained under the Act is not charged by the Police. And, the goal is to prevent the individual from committing a crime.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of Section 3 of the National Security Act, 1980, the Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh hereby directs, the District Magistrate, Chandigarh to make orders, directing any person to be detained under the said Act, with a view to preventing him/her from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of the state or from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order or from acting in any manner prejudicial to maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community,” the order issued on February 7 stated.“The notification shall remain in force for a period of three months, with effect from February 26, 2020,” the order added.

The joint capital of Punjab and Haryana—Chandigarh—being a union territory is primarily governed by the Centre and comes directly under the administrative control of the Union Home Ministry.

When contacted, UT Adviser Manoj Parida said that this is a routine order and is issued after every three months.

Notably, the National Security Act had become a major taking point last month when Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had granted power of detaining authority to the Delhi Police Commissioner under the NSA.

The NSA has repeatedly come under severe criticism for the way it is used by the police.

Under the NSA, an individual can be detained without a charge for up to 12 months. The individual also need not be informed of the charges for 10 days.