New Delhi [India], January 4 (HBTV): The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) Tribunal has upheld the Centre's July 8 notification declaring the Gurpatwant Singh Pannun-led Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) an unlawful organization for five years.   

The tribunal, chaired by Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta of the Delhi High Court, found the evidence presented by the Centre compelling. The evidence included allegations of SFJ recruiting and radicalizing youth via social media, financing terrorism through smuggling networks to procure weapons and explosives, issuing death threats to political leaders, including the Prime Minister and Home Minister, and inciting mutiny among Sikh soldiers in the Army.

Justice Mendiratta particularly emphasized SFJ's connections with international Khalistani terrorist and separatist organizations such as Babbar Khalsa International. The tribunal also highlighted SFJ's alleged ties to Pakistan's ISI and its attempts to revive militancy in Punjab.   

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had issued a notification on July 8, extending the declaration of SFJ as an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. This extension, effective from July 10, 2024, followed a similar ban imposed in 2019.  

The MHA cited SFJ's involvement in activities prejudicial to India's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and internal security. According to the notification, the group actively supported violent extremism and militancy in Punjab and other regions, aiming to carve out a separate Khalistan.

The notification further stated that SFJ maintains close ties with militant outfits and actively encourages and aids secessionist activities to destabilize India's democratically elected government.

(ANI)