The Competent Authority (CA) is a statutory authority under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976 [SAFEM(FOP)A]. He is a statutory authority under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, [NDPS] for the limited purpose of Chapter V (A) of this Act.

For effective prevention of smuggling and foreign exchange manipulations, the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976 was enacted to deprive the persons engaged in such activities of their ill-gotten gains. Similar provisions were enacted during 1989 by inserting Chapter-V-A to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 to forfeit the illegally acquired properties of the drug offenders.
Under section 5 of SAFEMA and section 68-D of NDPSA provisions are made to appoint the Competent Authority to:

• Identify / trace the illegally acquired properties
• Forfeit such properties
• Take possession of such forfeited properties
• Maintain the forfeited properties
• Sell such properties through auction
• In pursuance of these provisions, the Central Government has appointed 4 Competent Authorities at New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkatta and also appointed them as Administrator under these Acts.