Section15
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967

Terrorist act

In force From 30 Dec 1967 Act 37 of 1967 As on 15 Oct 2026

Act 37 of 1967 Ministry Home Affairs Enacted 30 Dec 1967 In force 30 Dec 1967 Cited by 3 provisions Instruments 3

Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 deals with terrorist act. 1, [15. Terrorist act.-- [(1)] Whoever does any act with intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, security [, economic security,] or sovereignty of India or with intent to strike terror or likely to strike terror in the people or any section of the people in India or in any for The Act came into force on 30 Dec 1967.

1, 2[15. Terrorist act.-- 3[(1)] Whoever does any act with intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, security 4[, economic security,] or sovereignty of India or with intent to strike terror or likely to strike terror in the people or any section of the people in India or in any foreign country,--

(a) by using bombs, dynamite or other explosive substances or inflammable substances or firearms or other lethal weapons or poisonous or noxious gases or other chemicals or by any other substances (whether biological radioactive, nuclear or otherwise) of a hazardous nature or by any other means of whatever nature to cause or likely to cause--

(i) death of, or injuries to, any person or persons; or

(ii) loss of, or damage to, or destruction of, property; or

(iii) disruption of any supplies or services essential to the life of the community in India or in any foreign country; or

4[(iiia) damage to, the monetary stability of India by way of production or smuggling or circulation of high quality counterfeit Indian paper currency, coin or of any other material; or]

(iv) damage or destruction of any property in India or in a foreign country used or intended to be used for the defence of India or in connection with any other purposes of the Government of India, any State Government or any of their agencies; or

(b) overawes by means of criminal force or the show of criminal force or attempts to do so or causes death of any public functionary or attempts to cause death of any public functionary; or

(c) detains, kidnaps or abducts any person and threatens to kill or injure such person or does any other act in order to compel the Government of India, any State Government or the Government of a foreign country or 5[an international or inter-governmental organisation or any other person to do or abstain from doing any act; or]

commits a terrorist act.

6[Explanation.--For the purpose of this sub-section,

(a) "public functionary" means the constitutional authorities or any other functionary notified in the Official Gazette by the Central Government as public functionary;

(b) "high quality counterfeit Indian currency" means the counterfeit currency as may be declared after examination by an authorised or notified forensic authority that such currency imitates or compromises with the key security features as specified in the Third Schedule.]

7[(2) The terrorist act includes an act which constitutes an offence within the scope of, and as defined in any of the treaties specified in the Second Schedule.]

Section 15, The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (Act 37 of 1967).

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

Related judgements & precedents

These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.

  1. Asif Iqbal Tanha v. State of NCT of Delhi

    High Court 15 Jun 2021 Binding (High Court) Reportable 2021 SCC OnLine Del 3253

    Court's Decision & Legal Precedent

    HC Final Order order-1.pdf 2021-06-15 DATE VERIFIED (exactly 1 order on the file). Crl.A. 39/2021. Siddharth Mridul / Anup Jairam Bhambhani. Leading HC construction of UAPA s.15 'terrorist act' vis-à-vis ordinary protest/rioting and public-order offences; s.18 conspiracy cannot be invoked without s.15 ingredients. Appeal is under NIA Act s.21(4) as the vehicle — do not pad NIA 21 (Thwaha skip). Do not pad UAPA 10/13/38/39/43D (Thwaha/Najeeb/Arup filled). Do not pad 16 (punishment follows 15) or 17 (fundraising not isolated) or 20.

    On this section: UAPA s.15 terrorist act requires intent to threaten unity, integrity, security or sovereignty or to strike terror; ordinary protest/rioting as a public-order offence is not a terrorist act (Asif Iqbal Tanha, Delhi HC).

    Read the full order on eCourts India

The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.

Judgments citing this section

These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.

  1. High Court 13 Apr 2018 KLHC010129292017

    … If any loss is caused to the finance of the country by an act on the part of the accused with intent to threaten the unity, integrity, security or sovereignty of India, it would attract S.15 of the Act." 10. We do not accept the said interpretation given to the unamended provisions of Section 15 of the U.A.(P) Act by the Division Bench. The objects and reasons of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)Amendment Act, 2012 will give us an indication as to the circumstance in which the Parliament thought of amending the law to include import or smuggling or circulation of 'high quality counterfeit Indian paper …

    Read this order on eCourtsIndia

Made under this section, and citing it

3 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.

All subordinate legislation

Questions about Section 15

What have the courts held on Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act?

Asif Iqbal Tanha v. State of NCT of Delhi (15 Jun 2021) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: UAPA s.15 terrorist act requires intent to threaten unity, integrity, security or sovereignty or to strike terror; ordinary protest/rioting as a public-order offence is not a terrorist act (Asif Iqbal Tanha, Delhi HC).

How do I find court cases under Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Uapa 15, section 15 Uapa, section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Asif Iqbal Tanha v. State of NCT of Delhi (15 Jun 2021).

What should I read with Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and has it changed?

3 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. 3 instruments name it without being made under it, most recently The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967) had declared the LTTE to be an unlawful association vide notification of the Govt. of India in the MHA number S.O. 1272 (E) dated 14.05.2014 (2014), then Investigation of High Quality Counterfeit Indian Currency Offences Rules, 2013 (2013).

When did Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act come into force?

Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, cited as Uapa 15, came into force on 30 Dec 1967, having been enacted on 30 Dec 1967. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.