New Delhi, Mar 14: The Central Government has formed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal, led by a judge from the Delhi High Court, to assess the justification for declaring the Jamaat-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir (JeI) as an ‘unlawful association’.
A notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday outlined the establishment of the tribunal. The notification referenced the previous declaration of Jamaat-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir (JeI) as an unlawful association on February 27, 2024, as published in the Gazette of India. The Central Government invoked its authority under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967) to constitute the tribunal, appointing Justice Navin Chawla, a judge from the High Court of Delhi, to preside over it.
Earlier, on February 27, the MHA had extended the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami-J-K under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 for an additional five years. Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated the government’s commitment to zero tolerance against terrorism and separatism, highlighting the organization’s continued activities against national security, integrity, and sovereignty.
The decision to ban Jamaat-e-Islami-J-K was initially made on February 28, 2019, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The notification at the time cited the organization’s connections with militant groups, support for extremism and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere, as well as involvement in anti-national and subversive activities aimed at causing disaffection in the country.
