Weapons Of Mass Destruction And Their Delivery Systems (Prohibition Of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005
No: 21 Dated: Jun, 06 2005
The Weapons Of Mass Destruction And Their Delivery Systems (Prohibition Of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005
(Act No. 21 of 2005)
An Act to prohibit unlawful activities, in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
Whereas India is determined to safeguard its national security as a Nuclear Weapon State;
And whereas India is committed not to transfer nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, or to transfer control over such weapons or explosive devices, and not in any way to assist, encourage, or induce any other country to manufacture nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices;
And whereas India is committed to prevent a non-State actor and a terrorist from acquiring weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems;
And whereas India is committed to the objective of global nuclear disarmament;
And whereas India is committed to its obligations as a State Party to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction and the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction;
And whereas India is exercising controls over the export of chemicals, organisms, materials, equipment and technologies in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems under other relevant Acts;
And whereas it is considered necessary to provide for integrated legal measures to exercise controls over the export of materials, equipment and technologies and to prohibit unlawful activities in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their" means of delivery.
Be it enacted by Parliament in the Fifty-sixth Year of the Republic of India as follows:
1. Short title and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005.
(2) It shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Act in addition to other laws.—Save as otherwise expressly provided in this Act, the provisions of this Act shall be in addition to any other relevant Act for the time being in force in relation to any matter covered under this Act.
3. Extent and application .(1) It extends to the whole of India including its Exclusive Economic Zone.
(2) Every person shall be liable to punishment under this Act for every act or omission contrary to the provisions thereof, of which he is held guilty of India.
(3) Any person who commits an offence beyond India, which is punishable under this Act, shall be dealt with according to the provisions of this Act in the same manner as if such act had been committed in India.
(4) The provisions of this Act shall also apply to
(a) citizens of India outside India;
(b) companies or bodies corporate, registered or incorporated in India or having their associates, branches or subsidiaries, outside India;
(c) any ship, aircraft or other" means of transport registered in India or outside India, wherever it may be;
(d) foreigners while in India;
(e) persons in the service of the Government of India, within and beyond India.
(5) Notwithstanding the applicability of the provisions of any other Central Act relating to any activity provided herein, the provisions of this Act shall apply to export, transfer, re-transfer, transit and trans-shipment of material, equipment or technology of any description as are identified, designated, categorised or considered necessary by the Central Government, as pertinent or relevant to India as a Nuclear Weapon State, or to the national security of India, to the furtherance of its foreign policy or its international obligations under any bilateral, or multilateral or international treaty, Covenant, Convention or arrangement relating to weapons of mass destruction or their" means of delivery, to which India is a Party.
4. Definitions .In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,
(a) biological weapons are
(i) microbial or other biological agents, or toxins whatever their origin or method of production, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes; and
(ii) weapons, equipment or delivery systems specially designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict;
(b) "brought in transit" means to bring goods from any country into India by land, air, or amphibious" means of transportation, where the goods are to be taken out from India on the same conveyance on which they are brought into India without any landing in India, but does not include a conveyance in innocent passage through Indian territory, Indian territorial waters or Indian airspace of a foreign conveyance carrying goods.
Explanation I- A conveyance is a foreign conveyance if it is not registered in India.
Explanation II- A conveyance is in innocent passage if it is not engaged in relevant activity and passes through or above Indian territorial waters or airspace without stopping or anchoring in India;
(c) "chemical weapons" means,
(i) the toxic chemicals and their precursors, except where intended for
(a) industrial, agricultural, research, medical, pharmaceutical or other peaceful purposes;
(b) protective purposes, namely, those purposes directly related to protection against toxic chemicals and to protection against chemical weapons;
(c) military purposes not connected with the use of chemical weapons and not dependent on the use of the toxic properties of chemicals as a method of warfare; or
(d) law enforcement including domestic riot control purposes;
as long as the types and quantities are consistent with such purposes;
(ii) the munitions and devices, specifically designed to cause death or other harm through the toxic properties of those toxic chemicals specified in sub-clause (i), which would be released as a result of the employment of such munitions and devices; and
(iii) any equipment specifically designed for use directly in connection with the employment of munitions and devices specified in sub-clause (ii), together or separately;
(d) export shall have the meaning assigned to this expression in the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 (22 of 1992);
(e) fissile material and radioactive material shall have the meanings assigned to these expressions in the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (33 of 1962);
(f) "item" means materials, equipment, and technology, of any description, notified under this Act or any other Act related to relevant activity;
(g) non-State actor is a person or entity not acting under the lawful authority of any country;
(h) nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device" means any nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device as may be determined by the Central Government, whose determination in the matter shall be final;
(i)" public domain" means domain that has no restrictions upon dissemination of information within or from it; the existence of any legal rights to intellectual property in that information does not remove such information from being in public domain;
(j) "relevant activity" means,
(i) the development, production, handling, operation, maintenance, storage or dissemination of a nuclear, chemical or biological weapon; or
(ii) the development, production, maintenance, storage or dissemination of missiles specially designed for delivering any such weapon;
(k) "re-transfer" means transfer of any item notified under this Act from any country or entity to which it has been exported from India, to yet another country or entity;
(l) "technology" means any information (including information embodied in software) other than information in the public domain, that is capable of being used in
(i) the development, production or use of any goods or software;
(ii) the development of, or the carrying out of, an industrial or commercial activity or the provision of a service of any kind.
Explanation. When technology is described wholly or partly by reference to the uses to which it (or the goods to which it relates) may be put, it shall include services which are provided or used, or which are capable of being used, in the development, production or use of such technology or goods;
(m) "terrorist" shall have the meaning assigned to this expression in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967);
(n) "trans-shipment" means to remove goods from the conveyance on which they were brought into India and to place the goods on the same or another conveyance for the purpose of taking them out of India, where these acts are carried out on a through bill of lading, through airway bill or through manifest.
Explanation- through bill of lading, through airway bill and through manifest" means respectively a bill of lading, airway bill and manifest, for the consignment of goods from a place outside India to a destination which is also outside India without a consignee in India;
(o) "unlawful" means without the authority of the Central Government and the expression unlawfully shall be construed accordingly;
(p) "weapons of mass destruction" means any biological, chemical or nuclear weapons.