This book examines the implications for Indian society and politics of laws that are made to tackle events and situations out of the ordinary. By reviewing public debates, comparing specific clauses of the laws and noting how they have been interpreted over time in judicial pronouncements, the author: shows how notions like nation, national identity and patriotism get entrenched in discourses on terrorism, conspiracy and national security; observes how extraordinary measures become 'normal' and acquire a place of permanence in the practices of the state; and concludes that extra-ordinary laws serve as instruments through which the hegemonic structures of the nation state are maintained.