Context: 

According to Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act has played a pivotal role in enhancing the Indian Navy’s effectiveness during its 100-day operation known as ‘Operation Sankalp’.

Background:

‘Operation Sankalp’ spanned from the Gulf of Aden to the North Arabian Sea and along the East Coast of Somalia.

About MARITIME ANTI-PIRACY ACT:

1. The Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, 2022 is a significant legislation enacted by India to address the menace of piracy on the high seas.
2. This Act was enacted on January 31, 2023, and came into enforcement on February 22, 2023.
3. It aims to give effect to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea concerning the repression of piracy on the high seas and related matters.
4. The act provides for punishment for anyone involved in acts of piracy, including those who commit, attempt, abet, or conspire to commit piracy.
5. Maritime Anti Piracy Act empowers the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to board, seize and arrest pirates operating in the high seas, in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and beyond.
6. Indian courts can prosecute the perpetrators with life imprisonment, fine, or both. However, the Act also considers the offence as extraditable, where India has signed such treaties with those countries. India has an agreement with Somalia where Somalian pirates have been extradited since 2017