New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday allotted powers to all of the states and the Union Territory (UT) administrations to take motion towards the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) outfit underneath the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The transfer comes nearly seven days after the Ministry renewed the ban on the SIMI as an ‘illegal affiliation’ underneath UAPA for 5 extra years. In the order, the MHA directed that every one powers exercisable by it underneath sections 7 and eight of the UAPA shall even be exercised by the state governments and the UT administration in relation to the 2 banned organisations.
“Whereas, in train of the powers conferred by sub-sections (1) and (3) of part 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central Government declared the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), to be an illegal affiliation vide notification quantity S.O. 354(E), dated the twenty ninth January 2024, printed within the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part-II, Section-3, Sub-section (ii), dated the twenty ninth January, 2024;
“Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 42 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central Government hereby directs that all powers exercisable by it under section 7 and section 8 of the said Act shall also be exercised by the State Governments and the Union territory administrations in relation to the above said unlawful association,” the order mentions.
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MHA delegates powers to state/UT governments to designate the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) as ‘unlawful association’ underneath UAPA. Centre had not too long ago renewed the ban on SIMI as ‘unlawful association’ underneath UAPA for 5 extra years. pic.twitter.com/NhNPqNyUIM
— ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2024
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The MHA prolonged the ban on SIMI on January 29 for one more 5 years as an ‘illegal affiliation’ UAPA.
Earlier, the Ministry had declared the SIMI an illegal affiliation on September 27, 2001, and it later stored on extending the ban on September 26, 2003, February 8, 2006, February 7, 2008, February 5, 2010, February 3, 2012, February 1, 2014, and January 31, 2019.
The contemporary motion got here contemplating that the SIMI is “continuing to be involved in fomenting terrorism and disturbing peace and communal harmony in the country which are prejudicial to the sovereignty, security, and integrity of India.”
Many legal circumstances have been registered towards SIMI and its members underneath varied sections of legislation, together with the UAPA.
Soon after the extension of the ban on SIMI, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the transfer was a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi authorities’s ‘zero tolerance’ coverage.
As per the then notification, SIMI had been indulging in actions which had been “prejudicial to the security of the country and have the potential of disturbing peace and communal harmony and disrupting the secular fabric of the country.”
It additional related SIMI’s function in a number of circumstances together with a case registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) towards
Athar Parvej and Mohd Jalaluddin of Phulawari Sharif, Patna referring to conspiracy of disrupting the go to of Prime Minister in July 2022.
The notification additional pointed that “if the illegal actions of the SIMI should not curbed and managed instantly, it’s going to take the chance to proceed its subversive actions and re-organise its activists who’re nonetheless absconding; disrupt the secular cloth of the nation by polluting the minds of the folks by creating communal disharmony; propagate anti-national sentiments; escalate secessionism by supporting militancy; and undertake actions that are prejudicial to the integrity and safety of the nation.
Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh have already advisable for declaration of SIMI as an
‘illegal affiliation’ underneath the provisions of the UAPA.Â
