NEW DELHI: A tribunal set up under the UAPA has confirmed the order passed by Ministry of Home Affairs declaring 'Muslim League Jammu and Kashmir' (Masrat Alam faction) and 'Tehreek E Huriyat Jammu and Kashmir', formed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani as an unlawful association under Section 3(1) of the anti terror law.
Justice Sachin Datta of Delhi High Court, who headed the one member tribunal, confirmed orders of the MHA issued on December 27, 2003 and December 31, 2023.
Following this, the ban on these organisations will continue to remain in force for next five years and any person claiming to be member or sympathiser of these association will face prosecution under stringent UAPA provision for next five years.
Additional Solicitor General Ashwarya Bhati and advocate Rajat Nair appeared before the tribunal on behalf of the central government.
Advocate Warisha Farasat contested the ban for Muslim League Jammu and Kashmir Masrat Alam faction.
Alam is currently in jail while Geelani is no more.
On December 28, 2023, the MHA banned the Masarat Alam-led Muslim League, a separatist organisation, for anti-national and secessionist activities in J&K.
On December 31, 2023, the MHA banned Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) which was earlier headed by deceased separatist leader Geelani.
In the final report, the tribunal after examining the evidence produced by the central government upheld the ban holding that these were Pakistan sponsored organisations which were carrying out secessionist activities in the valley with the objective of separating Jammu and Kashmir from India so as to realise the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan and establish Islamic rule over there.
The tribunal also found merit in the contention of the central government that these organisation were acting on behalf of Pakistan based terrorist organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) of Hafiz Sayeed, Jamaat-ud-Dawa of lftikhar Hyder Rana and Hizbul Mujahideen of Syed Salahuddin and were giving constant on ground support to such organisation to carry out militant operation in the valley.
Separate tribunals headed by Justice Naveen Chawla and Justice Neena Bansal of Delhi High Court are in the process of scrutinising similar ban imposed upon seven other organisations operating in Kashmir valley under the provisions of UAPA.
