The Geneva Conventions Act, 1960

Act No. 06

12-Mar-1960

Section 1 — Short title, extent and commencement

1. Short title, extent and commencement .

(1)This Act may be called the Geneva Conventions Act, 1960.

(2)It extends to the whole of India.

(3)It shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.

Section 2 — Definitions

2. Definitions .-In this Act, u nless the context otherwise requires, -

(a)“Conventions ” means the Conventions set out in the Schedules; and the First Convention, the Second Convention, the Third Convention and the Fourth Convention mean the Conventions set out in the First, Second, Thir d and Fourth Schedules, respectively;

(b)“court ” does not include a court -martial or military court;

(c)“protected internee ” means a person protected by the Fourth Convention and interned in India;

(d)“protecting power ”, in relation to a protected internee or a protected prisoner of war, means the power or organisation which is carrying out, in the interests of the power of which he is a national or of whose forces he is or was at any material time a member, the duties a ssigned to protecting powers under the Third Convention or, as the case may be, the Fourth Convention;

(e)“protected prisoner of war ” means a person protected by the Third Convention.

Section 3 — Punishment o f grave breaches of conventions

3. Punishment o f grave breaches of conventions .

(1)If any person within or without India commits or attempts to commit, or abets or procures the commission by any other person of, a grave breach of any of the Conventions he shall be punished, -

(a)Where the offence involves the wilful killing of a person protected by any of the Conventions, with death or with imprisonment for life; and

(b)in any other case, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years.

(2)Sub -section ( 1) appli es to persons regardless of their nationality or citizenship.