SRINAGAR: Two Delhi High Court tribunals have upheld the Centre’s decision to outlaw two prominent Kashmiri organisations — the Awami Action Committee (AAC), headed by chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and the Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (JKIM), led by Shia leader Masroor Abbas Ansari.
The tribunals, presided over by Justice Sachin Datta, ruled that the material placed on record by the Union government justified declaring both groups as unlawful associations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
“This Tribunal, having followed the procedure laid down in the UAPA and its Rules and having independently and objectively appreciated and evaluated the material and evidence on record, is of the firm and considered view that there is sufficient cause for declaring the organisation an unlawful association under Section 3(1) of the UAPA,” the orders stated.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had announced the ban on March 11, citing alleged involvement of the AAC and JKIM in activities threatening India’s sovereignty, integrity, and security. The ministry claimed that leaders and members of both groups had mobilised funds in support of separatist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Reacting to the decision, Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq described the tribunal’s endorsement of the ban as “unfortunate and unjust.” He told The Tribune that the tribunal process “was just a formality after the government had made up its mind to ban the organisation.”
Although the AAC chose not to contest the matter fully, it submitted a written response rejecting the grounds of the ban as “unjustifiable and motivated.” The organisation argued that the basis cited by the government consisted largely of five FIRs, most of them dating back to between 2008 and 2011.
In its response, the AAC pointed out that the first FIR named only one person, described as its media advisor, and that the other four related to speeches and slogans. “The cases are so flimsy that even after more than 15 years, they have not reached the stage of chargesheet. What credence can be placed on them?” the statement asked.
The AAC further stressed its origins as a socio-political organisation founded in 1964 by Mirwaiz’s father, the late Maulvi Farooq, to “give voice to the aspirations of his people.”
The tribunal orders mean the bans on both AAC and JKIM will remain in force, marking a significant setback for two of the Valley’s long-standing religious-political platforms.
