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Synopsis

Delhi High Court's Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav has been appointed as the Presiding Officer of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal to oversee the assessment of whether the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) qualifies as an 'unlawful association' under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification entrusting Justice Kaurav with the responsibility. Justice Kaurav, who assumed office as a judge of the Delhi High Court on June 2, 2022, and previously served as a judge in the Madhya Pradesh High Court after his elevation on October 8, 2021.

The recent extension of the ban for another five years on January 29, 2024, underscores the government's concerns about SIMI's purported role in disrupting peace and communal harmony, as stated in an official government press release.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act mandates that any ban on an organization must be confirmed by the UAPA Tribunal before it takes effect, as outlined in Section 4 of the Act.

“Bolstering PM @narendramodi Ji's vision of zero tolerance against terrorism, ‘Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI)’ has been declared as an 'Unlawful Association' for a further period of five years under the UAPA. The SIMI has been found involved in fomenting terrorism, disturbing peace and communal harmony, to threaten the sovereignty, security, and integrity of Bharat,” the Home Ministry's office posted on social platform X.

The Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) was first banned on February 1, 2014, by the Indian government. The ban was extended by five years in 2019.

Founded in 1977 in UP's Aligarh with Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqi, professor of journalism and public relations at Western Illinois University Macomb, as its founding president, this organisation operates on the agenda of converting India into an Islamic nation. SIMI was first declared an outlawed outfit in 2001 and has been banned on several occasions.

Members of SIMI have been involved in several terror attacks in the country, including the Bhopal jail break in 2014, the M Chinnawamy stadium blast in Bengaluru in 2014, and the Gaya blasts in 2017.

SIMI operated in states including Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Delhi, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat.