1. Short title and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the National Security Guard Act,
1986.
(2) It shall come into force on such date1
as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “active duty”, in relation to a person subject to this Act, means any duty as a member of the
Security Guard during the period in which such person is attached to, or forms part of, a unit of the
Security Guard—
(i) which is engaged in operations against terrorists or any person in arms against the Union;
or
(ii) which is operating at a picket or engaged on patrol or any other duty, in relation to
combating terrorist activity;
(b) “Assistant Commander” means a person appointed or in pay as an Assistant Commander
Grade I, Assistant Commander Grade II or Assistant Commander Grade III;
(c) “civil offence” means an offence which is triable by a Criminal Court or by a special Judge
appointed under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1952 (46 of 1952);
(d) “civil prison” means any jail or place used for the detention of any criminal prisoner under the
Prisons Act, 1894 (9 of 1894), or under any other law for the time being in force;
(e) “combatised tradesman” means a person appointed or in pay as a combatised tradesman;
(f) “Commander”, when used in any provision of this Act with reference to any unit of the
Security Guard, means the officer whose duty it is to discharge with respect to that unit, the functions
of a Commander in regard to matters of the description referred to in that provision;
(g) “Criminal Court” means a Court of ordinary criminal justice in any part of India and includes
a Court of a special Judge appointed under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1952 (46 of 1952);
(h) “Deputy Inspector-General” means a Deputy Inspector-General of the Security Guard
appointed under section 5;
(i) “Director-General” and “Additional Director-General” mean, respectively, the
Director-General and an Additional Director-General of the Security Guard appointed under
section 5;
1. 16th October, 1986, vide notification No. S.O. 737(E), dated 16th October, 1986, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II,
sec. 3(ii).
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(j) “Group” means a unit of the Security Guard constituted as a Group by the Central
Government;
(k) “Group Commander” means a Group Commander of the Security Guard appointed under
section 5;
(l) “Inspector-General” means an Inspector-General of the Security Guard appointed under
section 5;
(m) “Judge Attorney-General”, “Additional Judge Attorney-General”, “Deputy Judge
Attorney-General” and “Judge Attorney” mean, respectively, the Judge Attorney-General, an
Additional Judge Attorney-General, a Deputy Judge Attorney-General and a Judge Attorney of the
Security Guard appointed in the appropriate rank by the Central Government;
(n) “member of the Security Guard” means an officer, an Assistant Commander, a Ranger or a
combatised tradesman;
(o) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette;
(p) “offence” means any act or omission punishable under this Act and includes a civil offence;
(q) “officer” means a person appointed or in pay as an officer of the Security Guard;
(r) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules;
(s) “Ranger” means a Ranger Grade I and a Ranger Grade II of the Security Guard;
(t) “rule” means a rule made under this Act;
(u) “Security Guard” means the National Security Guard;
(v) “Security Guard Court” means a Court referred to in section 61;
(w) “Security Guard custody” means the arrest or confinement of a member of the Security Guard
according to rules;
(x) “superior officer”, when used in relation to a person subject to this Act, means—
(i) any member of the Security Guard to whose command such person is for the time being
subject in accordance with the rules;
(ii) any officer of a higher rank or class,
and includes, when such person is not an officer, an Assistant Commander or a Ranger of a higher rank or
class;
(y) “terrorist” means any person who, with intent to over-awe the Government as by law
established or to strike terror in the people or any section of the people or to alienate any section of
the people or to adversely affect the harmony amongst different sections of the people, does any act
or thing by using bombs, dynamite or other explosive substances or inflammable substances or
firearms or other lethal weapons or poisons or noxious gases or other chemicals or any other
substances (whether biological or otherwise) of a hazardous nature, in such a manner as to cause, or
as is likely to cause, death of, or injuries to, any person or persons or damage to, or destruction of,
property or disruption of any supplies or services essential to the life of the community;
(z) all words and expressions used and not defined in this Act but defined in the Indian Penal
Code (45 of 1860) shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in that Code.
(2) In this Act, references to any law not in force in any State shall be construed as references to
the corresponding law in force in that State.
3. Persons subject to this Act.—(1) The following persons appointed (whether on deputation or in
any other manner) in the Security Guard shall be subject to this Act, wherever they may be, namely:—
(a) officers and Assistant Commander; and
(b) Rangers and combatised tradesmen.
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(2) Every person subject to this Act shall remain so subject until repatriated, retired, released,
discharged, removed or dismissed from the Security Guard in accordance with the provisions of this Act
and the rules.