Supreme Court directs PFI to approach High Court against ban under UAPA
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court, which heard a plea by the Popular Front of India challenging the five-year ban imposed by the Central government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, has directed the organization to approach the relevant High Court with their concerns.
Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi refused to take up the plea against the ban which was upheld by the UAPA tribunal led by Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma of the Delhi High Court.
The BJP government had designated the Popular Front of India as an "unlawful" organization on September 28, 2022, accusing it and its eight affiliates of engaging in "violent terrorist activities" with the aim of instilling fear across the nation.
The government argued that these actions threatened the state's security and public order.
The Popular Front of India, formed in 2007 through the merger of three Muslim organizations in southern India, identifies itself as an entity striving for the "socio-economic, cultural, and political empowerment of the deprived and the downtrodden and the nation at large."
The ban followed a nationwide crackdown by the National Investigation Agency and the Enforcement Directorate, shedding light on the government's efforts to curb the alleged activities of the organization.