Tribunal formed to decide Jamaat-e-Islami’s status as unlawful association

NEW DELHI — The Indian government has established a tribunal, headed by a judge from the Delhi High Court, to determine whether there are grounds to declare Jamaat-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir, as an unlawful association.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the formation of the tribunal through a notification issued on Wednesday.

Citing a previous notification dated February 27, 2024, published in the Gazette of India, the MHA stated, “Jamaat-e-Islami has been declared as an unlawful association.”

The notification further outlined that the Central Government is exercising its powers under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, to appoint Justice Navin Chawla, Judge of the High Court of Delhi, to lead the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal.

The tribunal’s mandate is to assess whether there is sufficient cause to designate Jamaat-e-Islami as an unlawful association, as per the provisions outlined in the aforementioned Act.

This move comes after the Centre extended the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami for an additional five years on February 27, 2024. The organization was initially banned on February 28, 2019.