UAPA Tribunal upholds ban on Jama’at-e-Islami Jammu & Kashmir

Srinagar, Aug 23: The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal on Friday upheld the orders passed by the Ministry of Home Affairs declaring Jama’at-e-Islami Jammu & Kashmir as unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on March this year had issued a notification and constituted the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal, comprising a Delhi High Court judge, to adjudicate whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the Jama’at-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir (JeI) as an 'unlawful association'.

The tribunal upheld the Central Government’s ban on the outfit and extended it to continue to hold force for next five years. The tribunal also upheld the Central Government’s contention that the organization was involved in secessionist activities in the region and were given constant on-ground support to terrorists and their ideology.

"Jama’at-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir (JeI) has been declared as an unlawful association, vide notification dated February 27, 2024, published in the Gazette of India, Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 5 read with sub-section (1) of section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central Government hereby constitutes the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal consisting of Justice Navin Chawla, Judge, High Court of Delhi, for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the Jamaat-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir (JeI) as unlawful association," the MHA stated in its notification.

Earlier the outfit was banned on February 28, 2019 for a period of five years which was subsequently extended on February 28, 2024 for further five years period.