Act

Public Safety Act, 2046

All laws Acts

Type
Act
Year
२०४६ BS
Status
In force
Category
खण्ड ४: आन्तरिक प्रशासन · Volume 4: Internal Administration
Official text
Official page Official text (PDF)
English translation
Official English translation archived copy: the original page is no longer online
Includes amendments up to: 2066 BS. Translations may not include later amendments. The Nepali text is the authoritative law.

Analysis drawn from official reports, court rulings and published research, each cited. Figures are being double-checked against the source documents; corrections are welcome.

What does it do?

  • The Act lets the Chief District Officer place a person in preventive detention ('nazarbanda') at a particular place, if there are reasonable and sufficient grounds to stop that person from doing something that could immediately disturb Nepal's sovereignty, territorial integrity or public peace and order. The detainee's family or a close relative must be told of the detention within 24 hours (except for nationals of an enemy country). The detention order lasts 90 days; the Home Ministry can approve extending it to six months, and to 12 months if an Advisory Committee of Supreme Court judges agrees.नेपालको सार्वभौमसत्ता, भौगोलिक अखण्डता वा सार्वजनिक शान्ति र व्यवस्थामा तत्काल खलल पर्न सक्ने काम गर्नबाट कुनै व्यक्तिलाई रोक्नुपर्ने उचित र पर्याप्त आधार भएमा प्रमुख जिल्ला अधिकारीले उसलाई कुनै खास ठाउँमा नजरबन्द राख्ने आदेश दिन सक्छन्। नजरबन्दमा राखिएको २४ घण्टाभित्र परिवारका सदस्य वा नजिकको नातेदारलाई जानकारी दिनुपर्छ (शत्रु देशका नागरिकमा यो लागू हुँदैन)। नजरबन्दको आदेश ९० दिनसम्म रहन्छ; गृह मन्त्रालयले छ महिनासम्म थप्न स्वीकृति दिन सक्छ, र सर्वोच्च अदालतका न्यायाधीश रहेको सल्लाहकार समितिले राय दिएमा बाह्र महिनासम्म थप्न सकिन्छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Sections 2–3.1A, p. 2; Sections 5, 7–8, pp. 4–6
  • The Chief District Officer can also issue a restriction order ('sthanhad') telling a person not to stay in, not to enter, or to stay only in a particular place, to protect the public interest or good relations between castes, communities and religions; it lasts 30 days, extendable to 90 days with Home Ministry approval. The Home Ministry can bar a person from leaving Nepal without government permission. Breaking a restriction order is punishable by the Chief District Officer with up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs 1,000, with appeal to the district court.सर्वसाधारणको हित वा विभिन्न जात, जाति वा सम्प्रदायबीचको सुसम्बन्ध जोगाउन प्रमुख जिल्ला अधिकारीले कुनै व्यक्तिलाई कुनै ठाउँमा नबस्नू, प्रवेश नगर्नू वा कुनै ठाउँमा मात्र बस्नू भनी स्थानहदको आदेश दिन सक्छन्; यो ३० दिनसम्म रहन्छ र गृह मन्त्रालयको स्वीकृतिमा ९० दिनसम्म थप्न सकिन्छ। गृह मन्त्रालयले कुनै व्यक्तिलाई सरकारको स्वीकृतिबिना नेपालबाहिर जान नपाउने आदेश दिन सक्छ। स्थानहदको आदेश उल्लङ्घन गरेमा प्रमुख जिल्ला अधिकारीले छ महिनासम्म कैद वा एक हजार रुपैयाँसम्म जरिबाना गर्न सक्छन्, र त्यसउपर जिल्ला अदालतमा पुनरावेदन लाग्छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Sections 3.2–3.3, p. 3; Section 6, p. 5; Section 10, p. 6
  • Orders must state their reasons and grounds, be given to the person concerned and be reported to the Home Ministry and the provincial home ministry; a detention order must be reported to the district court within 24 hours. An order must be withdrawn within 24 hours once its grounds no longer exist, and the government can cancel any order at any time. Detainees are released in the presence of a district court judge or official and, where possible, a family member.आदेश दिँदा कारण र आधार खुलाई सम्बन्धित व्यक्तिलाई दिनुपर्छ र गृह मन्त्रालय र प्रदेशको आन्तरिक मामिला हेर्ने मन्त्रालयलाई जानकारी दिनुपर्छ; नजरबन्दको आदेशको सूचना २४ घण्टाभित्र जिल्ला अदालतमा पठाउनुपर्छ। आदेशको आधार नरहेको २४ घण्टाभित्र आदेश खारेज गर्नुपर्छ, र सरकारले जुनसुकै बेला आदेश खारेज गर्न सक्छ। नजरबन्दबाट छोड्दा जिल्ला अदालतका न्यायाधीश वा कर्मचारी र सम्भव भएसम्म परिवारका सदस्यको रोहबरमा छोडिन्छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Section 4, pp. 3–4; Section 9, p. 6; Section 12, p. 7
  • Section 11 states that orders under the Act cannot be questioned in any court. However, a detainee who believes the detention was illegal or in bad faith can claim compensation from the district court, during detention or within 35 days of release, and the court sets compensation from the government based on the length of detention, the person's age, standing and financial loss. Officials who issue orders in bad faith, or fail to inform the family, face departmental punishment.दफा ११ ले यस ऐनअन्तर्गत जारी आदेशउपर कुनै अदालतमा प्रश्न उठाउन नसकिने व्यवस्था गरेको छ। तर ऐनविपरीत वा बदनियतपूर्वक नजरबन्दमा राखिएको लागेमा नजरबन्दमा छँदै वा छुटेको ३५ दिनभित्र जिल्ला अदालतमा क्षतिपूर्तिका लागि उजुरी दिन सकिन्छ, र अदालतले नजरबन्दको अवधि, उमेर, सामाजिक प्रतिष्ठा र आर्थिक हानि हेरी नेपाल सरकारबाट मनासिब क्षतिपूर्ति भराउँछ। बदनियतले आदेश जारी गर्ने वा परिवारलाई जानकारी नदिने अधिकारीलाई विभागीय कारबाही हुन्छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Sections 11 and 12A, p. 7; Sections 13–14, p. 8

Gaps, loopholes and improvement ideas

Ideas to fix it

  • Rescind or reform the Public Security Act so as to remove powers to detain persons in 'preventive detention' without charge or trial.अभियोग वा सुनुवाइबिना ‘निवारक नजरबन्द’ मा राख्ने अधिकार हटाउने गरी सार्वजनिक सुरक्षा ऐन खारेज वा सुधार गर्ने। Proposed by: Amnesty International (recommendations for Nepal's 2015 Universal Periodic Review) Amnesty International

Where does it conflict with other laws?

No conflict with another law is documented in the sources we have reviewed so far.

Public approval (अनुमोदन)

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