Blitz Bureau
THE Supreme Court has refused to entertain a plea challenging a decision of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal, which had upheld the extension of ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta on July 14 questioned the maintainability of the special leave petition (SLP) filed by Humam Ahmad Siddiqui, a former member of the banned “unlawful association”. “Why are you (Siddiqui) here? Let the organisation come!” remarked the Bench, questioning the locus standi of the petitioner.
Ultimately, it dismissed the special leave petition (SLP) filed against the decision of the judicial tribunal confirming the ban on SIMI under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In a notification issued on January 29, 2024, the Union Home Ministry had extended the ban on SIMI for five more years, referring to its involvement in “fomenting terrorism, disturbing peace and communal harmony, which are prejudicial to the sovereignty, security and integrity of India”.
“The ban on SIMI has been imposed under Section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) 1967 for a further period of five years,” the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had said.
