New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed Popular Front of India’s (PFI) plea challenging the five-year ban imposed on it under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The ban was confirmed by a UAPA tribunal following the central government’s decision.
A panel of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi stated that it would be more appropriate for the PFI to initially approach the high court to challenge the tribunal’s decision. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing the PFI, concurred with the court’s opinion that the organization should have first sought relief from the high court before approaching the Supreme Court. The plea was consequently dismissed by the bench.
In its petition, the PFI challenged the UAPA tribunal’s March 21 ruling, which upheld the Central Government’s September 27, 2022 decision to ban the organization for five years. The ban was imposed on the grounds of the PFI’s alleged connections with global terrorist organizations like ISIS and its alleged efforts to propagate communal hatred within the country.
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