20 Oct 2023 8:33 AM GMT
The Popular Front of India (PFI) has approached the Supreme Court against a home ministry notification designating it and its affiliated organisations as 'unlawful associations' under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
A bench of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi was slated to hear today a special leave petition filed by the Popular Front of India against a UAPA tribunal upholding the central government's ban earlier this year. However, the hearing has been deferred for now in terms of a letter seeking adjournment.
Background
In September last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs published a gazette notification declaring the Popular Front of India (PFI) along with its various associates, affiliates, or fronts as 'unlawful associations' under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, citing their alleged connections with terrorist organisations and involvement in acts of terror. This development came on the heels of two massive nationwide search, detain, and arrest operations against the PFI and its members. The ban was to be effective immediately for a period of five years under Section 3(1) of the UAPA. Among the listed affiliates were the Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National Women's Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation, and Rehab Foundation, Kerala.
In March this year, a UAPA tribunal, led by Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma of the Delhi High Court, upheld the central government's ban on the Popular Front of India and its associated entities. As per the provisions of the anti-terror law, the tribunal, comprising a single high court judge, was required to adjudicate the validity of the government's declaration. Justice Sharma was appointed as the presiding officer of the tribunal by the Centre in October 2022.
Case Details
Popular Front of India v. Union of India | Diary No. 26236 of 2023