New Delhi, Sept 19: Two Delhi High Court tribunals have upheld the Centre’s ban on the Awami Action Committee (AAC) and Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (JKIM), led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Masroor Abbas Ansari, respectively.
The tribunals, both presided over by Justice Sachin Datta, said the evidence presented showed sufficient grounds to declare the groups unlawful under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. “There is sufficient cause for declaring the organisation as an unlawful association under Section 3(1) of the UAPA,” the identical orders read.
The Union Home Ministry had banned the groups on March 11, stating that AAC and JKIM were engaged in activities threatening India’s integrity, sovereignty, and security. The ministry alleged that the groups’ leaders and members mobilized funds to support secessionist, separatist, and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
The tribunal’s orders mark the latest step in the government’s crackdown on organisations allegedly involved in destabilizing activities in the region.
