The imprisonment of a person with the aim of preventing them from committing further offences or of maintaining public order.
The grounds for Preventive detention are:
* Security of state.
* Maintenance of public order.
* Maintenance of supplies and essential services and defence.
* Foreign affairs or security of India.
Preventive detention is not in sink with the democratic principles as:
- It is often misused by the executives. The grounds mentioned above are too subjective and that increases the chances of the law being misused.
- It is a colonial hangover that needs to be done away with.
- There are other laws available to deal with the grounds mentioned for invocation of preventive detention.
- It has become the tool to curb the dissenting voice without analysing the content of the dissent. This is not good for a vibrant democracy like India.
- This provision is against the fundamentals and ideology of Fundamental rights. It is against the art 14, 15, 21 and 22 of the constitution.
- Preventive detention cannot be a part of independent democratic and a republic country.