A convicted murderer has lost his Supreme Court challenge to the validity of a law under which he was arrested and detained on suspicion of IRA membership. Section 30.3 authorises gardaí to arrest a suspect on reasonable suspicion of certain serious scheduled offences under the 1939 Act. Section 30 of the 1939 Act does not require such additional authorisation. After the High Court rejected his challenge, he secured a further appeal to the Supreme Court. It was legitimate for the Oireachtas to differentiate between offences under the 1939 Act, aimed at targeting terrorist and organised crime activities, and general offences under the 1984 Act.

Source: The Irish Times February 12, 2021 13:41 UTC