The Substitution Engine

Post-2009 the PTA (1979) carried administrative detention against Tamil civilians; the ICCPR Act §3(g) became the secondary tool. The Ahnaf Jazeem case (2021-22) showed the legal-mutation method in practice. The Online Safety Act was gazetted Feb 2024.

1. 01
   Jan–May 2025Confirmed · Tier-A source

   49 PTA arrests in the first five months of the new administration, per OHCHR Aug 2025.

2. 02
   Dec 2025Confirmed · Tier-A source

   Government published the draft PSTA (PTA replacement) for consultation.

3. 03
   Jan 2026Confirmed · Tier-A source

   HRW: PSTA 'includes numerous provisions similar to the current abusive law'.

4. 04
   Feb 2026Confirmed · Tier-A source

   OHCHR + seven UN Special Procedures: PSTA fails the same five benchmarks PTA failed.

5. 05
   Jun 2026Confirmed · Tier-A source

   Sangeethsan / HipHop Sangee case: PTA arrest withdrawn, fresh Penal Code charges — the charge-swap in textbook form.

The choreography is consistent. Arrest under a high-visibility instrument → international reaction → re-charge under a lower-visibility instrument (Penal Code §120, ICCPR Act §3(g), Online Safety Act §33). Prosecution survives; the PTA-specific monitoring does not follow.

S(t) = arrests_under_legacy(t) + arrests_under_new(t) − arrests_dropped(t)
      ≈ constant across reform cycles

Across three reform cycles (1979 → 2007 → 2024 → 2026), the headline instrument changed; the aggregate detention rate did not.

Is there a documented coordination between the Attorney General's Department and Public Security on the charge-swap procedure? Has any Tamil journalist or artist been prosecuted under the Online Safety Act itself since its February 2024 commencement?