With reference to India, consider the following pairs:

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. All three
4. None

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched

• The Official Secrets Act was first enacted in 1923 and was retained after Independence. The law, applicable to government servants and citizens, provides the framework for addressing espionage, sedition, and other potential threats to the nation’s integrity. The law makes spying, sharing ‘secret’ information, unauthorised use of uniforms, withholding information, interference with the armed forces in prohibited/restricted areas, among others, punishable offences. The information could be any reference to a place belonging to or occupied by the government, or to documents, photographs, sketches, maps, plans, models, official codes, or passwords. The OSA does not define “secret” or “official secrets”. Public servants could deny any information, terming it a “secret” when asked under the RTI Act.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched

• It is covered under the Official Secrets Act 1923: “No person in the vicinity of any prohibited place shall obstruct, knowingly mislead or otherwise interfere with or impede, any police officer, or any member of the Armed Forces of the Union engaged on guard, Sentry, patrol, or other similar duty in relation to the prohibited place.”

Pair 3 is correctly matched

• The Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019, amended the Arms Act, 1959.
• The Act added new offences. These include:
  1. forcefully taking a firearm from police or armed forces, punishable with imprisonment between 10 years and life imprisonment, along with a fine,
  2. Using firearms in celebratory gunfire which endangers human life or the personal safety of others, punishable with imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to one lakh rupees, or both.
  • Celebratory gunfire refers to the use of firearms in public gatherings, religious places, marriages or other functions to fire ammunition.

Answer: (b) Only two; Difficulty Level: Hard