SC dismisses plea against tribunal’s order extending SIMI ban

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a plea challenging a judicial tribunal’s order that confirmed a five-year extension of the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta 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 Justice Nath-led 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.

Subsequently, a tribunal was constituted to decide whether there were sufficient reasons to declare SIMI an unlawful organisation or not.

SIMI was first declared an outlawed organisation in 2001 during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government, and the ban has been periodically renewed since then.

Founded on April 25, 1977, at Aligarh Muslim University as a youth and student wing aligned with Jamait-e-Islami-Hind (JEIH), SIMI later declared itself independent in 1993 through a formal resolution.

(inputs from IANS)