GoI sets up tribunal to review ban on Jamaat, JKLF

New Delhi, Apr 1: The Government of India (GoI) has set up a tribunal, headed by Justice Chander Shekhar of the Delhi High Court, to adjudicate if there exists sufficient cause to ban the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir (JeI) and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front-Yasin Malik (JKLF-Y) faction.

The decision has been taken by the Home Ministry exercising the powers conferred under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, an official notification said.

The JeI and the JKLF-Y were declared as unlawful associations on February 28 and March 22 respectively.

“Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by the sub-section (1) of section 5 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central Government hereby constitutes an Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal consisting of Justice Chander Shekhar, High Court of Delhi, for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause of declaring the Jamaat-e-Islami-Jammu and Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front-Yasin Malik faction, as unlawful association,” the notification said.

While declaring the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir an outlawed organisation for five years, the central government had said that it was “in close touch” with militant outfits and was expected to “escalate secessionist movement” in the state.

The Centre also said it was of the opinion that the Jamaat was “in close touch with militant outfits” and was “supporting extremism and militancy” in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere.

It said the outfit claimed “secession of a part of the Indian territory from the union” and was “supporting militant and separatist groups fighting for this purpose”.

While banning the Yasin Malik-led Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, the Centre had said that the outfit was responsible for a “series of violent acts and was in the forefront of separatist activities in the militancy-hit state since 1988”.

Listing out its subversive and violent activities, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba had said that the JKLF spearheaded the separatist ideology in the Kashmir Valley and the action was taken following the “zero tolerance” policy of the central government against militancy.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)