New Delhi: A judicial tribunal has confirmed the five-year extension of the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The tribunal, headed by Delhi High Court judge Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, concluded that SIMI has not deviated from its goal of establishing Islamic rule in India and continues to promote a 'Jehaad' for the cause of Islam.

The tribunal was established under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, following the Centre's decision on January 29, 2024, to extend SIMI's ban. The tribunal, formed on February 16, 2024, was tasked with determining whether there was sufficient reason to maintain the ban on SIMI.

On July 24, 2024, the tribunal upheld the extension of the ban, citing SIMI's ongoing efforts to establish an Islamic state, aligned with the objectives of the banned terrorist organisation ISIS/Daish. The tribunal's notification highlighted that SIMI aims to dismantle nationalism, propagate Islam, and establish a "Shariat"-based Islamic rule, opposing the nation's secular order and Constitution.

The government's extension of the ban was supported by recommendations from ten state governments: Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. These states suggested declaring SIMI an "unlawful association" under the UAPA.

SIMI was first banned in 2001 during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government, and the ban has been renewed periodically since then. The Ministry of Home Affairs accused SIMI of perpetuating terrorism, disrupting communal harmony, and engaging in activities detrimental to national security. Established on April 25, 1977, at Aligarh Muslim University as a front for Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind, SIMI declared its independence in 1993. (agencies)