NEW DELHI: The Centre has constituted a tribual to decide whether there is sufficient cause for declaring Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir as an unlawful association.
In a notification issued on March 23, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that Justice Mukta Gupta of the Delhi High Court would head the tribunal set up under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Justice Gupta is presently heading another tribunal set up under UAPA to ascertain whether there was sufficient cause to extend the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) as an unlawful association. The proceedings of the SIMI tribunal commenced on February 28, the same day on which the Centre banned Jamat-e-Islami (JeI) Jammu and Kashmir for five years under the anti-terror law for its extremist orientation saying JeI was “in close touch” with militant outfits and is expected to “escalate secessionist movement” in the state.
While banning JeI, the government said it was of the opinion that the Jamaat is “in close touch with militant outfits” and is supporting extremism and militancy in J&K and elsewhere. It said the outfit claims “secession of a part of the Indian territory from the union” and supporting terrorist and separatist groups fighting for this purpose.
The action came following the February 14 terrorist attack in Pulwama, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. There have been allegations in the past that the group was a political outfit of the banned terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen but the group has denied these allegations.