NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday gave powers to all states and Union Territories to declare the terrorist group Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) a banned organisation under the anti-terror law UAPA.
On January 29, the Central government had extended the ban imposed on the SIMI for five more years.
While extending the ban on the terrorist organisation, the government had said the group has been involved in fomenting terrorism and disturbing peace and communal harmony in the country.
In a notification on Monday, the Union Home Ministry said in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 42 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central government 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 unlawful association SIMI.
As many as 10 state governments — Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh — have recommended the declaration of SIMI as an “unlawful association” under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
To justify the ban, the MHA’s notification on January 29 listed 28 “grounds.” This includes 17 cases registered against ex-SIMI cadres in the past five years and 11 instances where SIMI members have been convicted by courts of law for various crimes committed between the years 2006-2014.
The fresh cases include two First Information Reports (FIR) registered at Gangapur police station in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan on Aigust 25, 2019 for “pelting stones from the top of Jama Masjid on the rally of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)” on VHP’s Foundation Day. The SIMI was first declared outlawed in 2001 when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was in power and since then the ban has been extended periodically.