On Friday, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal confirmed the Ministry of Home Affairs’ decision to label Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu & Kashmir (JeI) as an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had initially declared JeI as an unlawful association in a notification dated February 27, 2024. To review this decision, the MHA constituted the tribunal, led by Delhi High Court Judge Justice Navin Chawla.
The tribunal’s ruling means that the ban on JeI will remain in effect for another five years. According to the MHA, the organization has been involved in secessionist activities and has provided ongoing “support to terrorists and their ideologies”.
The MHA’s notification explained, “Jama’at-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir (JeI) has been declared as an unlawful association… Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred… the Central Government hereby constitutes the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal… for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the Jamaat-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir (JeI) as unlawful association.”
JeI was first banned on February 28, 2019, for five years, with the ban extended on February 28, 2024, for an additional five years.
