Following two days of coordinated raids and the arrests of an approximate 247 members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), the Union government on Tuesday, September 27, banned the outfit for five years.In the MHA notification issued late Tuesday night, the Union home ministry said the Union government is of the opinion that the PFI and its affiliates have been involved in “subversive activities”, thereby disturbing public order and undermining the constitutional set up of the country and encouraging and enforcing a terror-based regressive regime.

The notification further accused the PFI of “propagating anti-national sentiments and radicalising a particular section of society” with the intention to create disaffection against the country.

A to a report in NDTV, the government alleged that the PFI was found to have links with the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), the Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), all three of which are banned under Section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The PFI has been added to the list of banned organisations under the same section of the anti-terror legislation.

It is the NDTV report also details that the home ministry notification claims that the PFI and its affiliates operate in the open as “socio-economic, educational or political” organisations but that it secretly works to radicalise a section of the population.

“And whereas, the central government for the above-mentioned reasons is firmly of the opinion that having regard to the activities of the PFI, it is necessary to declare the PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts to be unlawful association with immediate effect,” the home ministry notification read.

Affiliate organisations of the PFI, such as the Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala have also been banned.

“PFI created these associates or affiliates or fronts to enhance its reach among different sections of the society such as the youth, students, women, Imams, lawyers or weaker sections of the society with the sole objective of expanding its membership, influence and fund-raising capacity,” the home ministry notification claimed.

In another notification, the Union government empowered authorities to take action against these affiliate groups as well, including the seizure of their premises and the arrest of their leaders.

Bommai lauds decision

The home ministry notification recognised the fact that the state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat had been recommending banning the PFI. On Wednesday morning, following the government’s decision to ban the outfit, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the move would show all “anti-national” organisations in the country that they can not survive.

 “For a long time, it has been a demand by the people of this country, by all political parties including the opposition CPI, CPI(M) and the Congress. PFI is the avatar of SIMI and KFD (Karnataka Forum for Dignity). They were involved in anti-national activities and violence,” Bommai said, according to PTI.

The chief minister also alleged that the PFI’s high command had gone across the border to Pakistan to get training.

The home ministry’s decision was also welcomed by Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra. “Recently, the NIA and police of several states had raided several of its activists and office-bearers and had gathered evidences. Such fanatic organisations were instigating a section of youth against the country,” he said.

On September 22, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out a series of coordinated raids at PFI offices and premises across the country. Apart from terror funding, the investigative agencies alleged that the outfit was involved in organising training camps for terrorists and radicalising youths so they would join it.

In the past, the PFI was alleged to have had links to the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Delhi and the subsequent northeast Delhi riots. Further, it was alleged to have wanted to incite communal riots and spread terror in the aftermath of the Hathras gangrape.

Over 100 PFI members were arrested or detained following the raids on September 22. Thereafter, this number went up to 247 following another set of raids on September 27. Around 80 people, mostly office-bearers of the PFI and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) were arrested in Karnataka after an eight-hour operation by state police. 

(With inputs from PTI)

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Allahabad High Court has issued notice to the central government as well as UP Police in the habeas Corpus petition of 3 alleged members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), who were arrested on their way to Hathras as they were going to meet the family of the family of the deceased rape victim. Atikur Rahman, a student, Alam, a cab driver and Masud, an activist were apprehended and arrested by the Deputy Superintendent of Police on October 5.

Their bail applications were rejected by Mathura Court on November 13 stating that their bail is embargoed under section 43-D (5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). They were all arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police after a laptop and some ‘objectionable’ literature relating to ‘Justice for Hathras Victim’ was allegedly recovered from their possession while they were en route to Hathras. It is alleged that they are linked with Popular Front of India’s (PFI) student wing Campus Front of India (CFI) and were traveling from Delhi.

A bench of Justices Pritinker Diwaker and SC Sharma has issued notices to the Central government, State of UP, Superintendent of Jail (District Jail, Mathura) and Prabal Pratap Singh (Sub-Inspector, PS Maant- the complainant).

The accused were charged under sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion etc), 124A (sedition), 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) of Indian penal Code; Sections 17 (raising funds for terrorist act) and 18 (conspiracy) of UAPA; and section 65 (Tampering with computer source documents), 72 (Penalty for breach of confidentiality and privacy) and 75 (Act to apply for offence or contravention committed outside India) of the IT Act

The plea filed by the 3 accused challenges the order of judicial remand and challenges the jurisdiction of Magistrate Court to issue the same as offences under the UAPA are to be tried by a special court. The plea contends that the two accused being social activists were going to meet the bereaved family and Alam, the taxi driver was ferrying them to the destination. It is argued that the FIR was lodged as an afterthought as the police realised that their detention was unlawful.

The pleas states, “the petitioners are unfortunate victims and scapegoats of the high-handed of the police authorities. They have committed no offence which is clear from a bare perusal of the sections slapped on them and the allegations in the FIR which are completely false and bogus and no case as against them is made out”.

The petitioner is the father-in-law of Atiku r Rahman, Shakhavat Khan who pleads that the writ be issued quashing the remand order of CJM Mathura and that the FIR also be quashed. An interim relief has also been sought for interim bail and permission to interact with lawyers and family members. Interestingly, the petition also urges that the District Judge, Mathura, be directed to visit the Mathura District jail to inquire into the human rights violations in the jail premises, if any, and submit a report before the High Court, as reported by LiveLaw.

The court has set the date for next hearing on December 14.

The order may be read here.

Related:

Hathras case: Mathura court rejects bail plea of two CFI members and driver
Hathras case: Mathura court reserves bail order of three charged for sedition
We are trying to discourage Article 32 petitions: Chief Justice of India

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