Recent context:
- Indian Navy was able to rescue all 21 crew members including 15 Indians, from a Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfork that was hijacked by pirates near the coast of Somalia.
- The ship was sanitized by a team of navy elite unit MARCOS.
Piracy:
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship-borne attackers upon another ship, to steal cargo or other valuables from the ship.
Regions affected:
The Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea, Strait of Malacca, Sulu and Celebes Seas, Indian Ocean, and Falcon Lake (Canada).
International Law for Piracy:
India ratified the UN Convention on Laws of the Sea in 1995.
Anti Maritime Piracy Bill 2022:
Penalties:
- An act of piracy will be punishable with:
- Imprisonment for life; or
- Death, if the act of piracy causes or attempts to cause death.
- An attempt to commit, aid, support, or counsel an act of piracy will be punishable with up to 14 years of imprisonment, and a fine.
- Participating, organizing, or directing others to participate in an act of piracy will also be punishable with up to 14 years of imprisonment, and a fine.
- Offenses will be considered extraditable. This means that the accused can be transferred to any country for prosecution with which India has signed an extradition treaty.
- In the absence of such treaties, offenses will be extraditable based on reciprocity between the countries.
Jurisdiction of the Courts:
- The central government, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court, may notify Sessions Courts as the Designated Courts under this Bill.
- The Designated Court will try offences committed by:
- A person in the custody of the Indian Navy or Coast Guard, regardless of his nationality.
- A citizen of India, a resident foreign national in India, or a stateless person.
- The Court will not have jurisdiction over offenses committed on a foreign ship unless an intervention is requested by:
- The country of origin of the ship.
- The ship-owner.
- Any other person on the ship.
- Warships and government-owned ships employed for non-commercial purposes will not be under the jurisdiction of the Court.
Related Links: Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
