What Are the Key Provisions of COFEPOSA?

Key Provisions of COFEPOSA:

1. Preventive Detention:
   • Detention without Trial: COFEPOSA empowers the government to detain individuals without a trial for up to one year if they are suspected of being involved in activities that harm the foreign exchange economy or are linked to smuggling.
   • Targeted Individuals: It can be applied to those involved in foreign exchange violations, smuggling of goods, illegal export or import activities, or similar offenses that threaten the country’s financial stability.
2. Advisory Board:
   • Review Mechanism: An Advisory Board, composed of High Court judges or persons qualified to be judges, must review the detention order within five weeks of the detention. If the Board finds insufficient cause for detention, the detainee must be released immediately.
   • Duration of Detention: The detention order can be initially for three months and can be extended up to a year, depending on the Board’s recommendation and the nature of the case.
3. Rights of the Detainee:
   • Communication of Grounds: The detained person must be informed of the grounds of detention within five days (or ten days in exceptional cases) to allow them to make a representation against the order.
   • Right to Representation: The detainee has the right to make a representation to the Advisory Board against the detention.
4. Protection of Essential Services:
   • The act provides safeguards to prevent misuse by including provisions that ensure that detention orders are made with due consideration to public interest and national economic security.
5. Exemption from Normal Legal Processes:
   • Detention orders under COFEPOSA are not subject to normal criminal trial procedures. The courts have limited jurisdiction to interfere in these orders unless there is a procedural violation or lack of justification.

Summary: COFEPOSA provides for preventive detention to curb activities that harm India’s foreign exchange economy and prevent smuggling. It allows for detention without trial, subject to review by an Advisory Board. While it aims to protect economic interests, it is a stringent law with significant implications for personal liberty.