The Centre has recently constituted a tribunal under Delhi High Court judge Sachin Datta to adjudicate if there is sufficient ground for declaring the Jammu & Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party as an unlawful association. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification announcing the constitution of the tribunal. The move comes days after the ministry earlier this month declared JKDFP an unlawful association.
The notification reads, “Whereas, Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) has been declared as an unlawful association, dated October 5, 2023, published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (ii); “Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 5 read with sub-section (1) of section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central Government hereby constitutes the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal consisting of Justice Sachin Datta, Judge, High Court of Delhi, for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) as an unlawful association.”
Previously on October 5, the MHA declared JKDFP a banned group under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 for 5 years for its “anti-India” and “pro-Pakistan” activities.
Founded in 1998 by jailed separatist Shabir Ahmad Shah, the JKDFP was a constituent of the separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference. After the division of the Hurriyat Conference in 2003, the JKDFP became a part of the hard-line faction headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Shah is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
He was arrested by the ED on July 25 in 2017, in a 2005 money laundering case. He has also been charge sheeted by the NIA in a terror-funding case.
In November last year, the ED attached Shah’s Srinagar house in connection with its money laundering probe linked to a case of fueling terror activities in Union territory.