Definitions

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— (a) "abet" with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions, includes— (i) the communication or association with any person with the actual knowledge or having reason to believe that such person is engaged in assisting in any manner an organised crime syndicate; (ii) the passing on or publication of or distribution of, any document or matter obtained from the organised crime syndicate; and (iii) the rendering of any assistance, whether financial or otherwise, to facilitate the commission of an offence under this Act; (b) "Code" means the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; (c) "continuing unlawful activity" means an activity prohibited by law for the time being in force, which is a cognizable offence punishable with imprisonment for a term of three years or more, undertaken either singly or jointly, as a member of an organised crime syndicate or on behalf of such syndicate in respect of which more than one charge-sheets have been filed before a competent court within the preceding period of ten years and that court has taken cognizance of such offence; (d) "economic offences" include running of the ponzy schemes and the multi-level marketing schemes with a view to defraud the people at large for obtaining the monetary benefits or large scale organized betting in any form; (e) "organised crime" means continuing unlawful activity and terrorist act including extortion, land grabbing, contract killing, economic offences, cyber crimes having severe consequences, prostitution or ransom by an individual, singly or jointly, either as a member of an organised crime syndicate or on behalf of such syndicate, by use of violence or threat of violence or intimidation or coercion or other unlawful means; (f) "organised crime syndicate" means a group of two or more persons who, acting either singly or collectively, as a syndicate or gang indulging in activities of organised crime; (g) "Special Court" means the Special Court constituted under section 5; (h) "terrorist act" means an act of terror by a person by using weapons or explosives or other substances of a lethal nature or hazardous nature or by any other means of whatever nature to cause or likely to cause death of, or injuries to any person, or loss of, or damage to, or destruction of property or disruption of any supplies of life of the community or an act of causing panic or spread of distress or fear of the people by doing an act using bombs, dynamite or other explosive substances or inflammable materials or firearms or lethal weapons or poisonous or noxious gases or other chemicals or by any other substances (whether biological or otherwise) in a hazardous nature in such a manner so as to cause or likely to cause death or injuries to any person or persons or loss of or damage to or destruction of property or disruption of any supplies of services essential to the life of the community or an act of terrorism.