JKDFP Officially Declared Unlawful Association by UAPA Tribunal

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal led by Justice Sachin Datta from the Delhi High Court has upheld the prohibition of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (Shabir Shah’s JKDFP) as an unlawful association.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati and Advocate Rajat Nair represented the Ministry of Home Affairs in the proceedings. The tribunal’s confirmation order will soon be officially announced by the Government within a couple of days.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recently established the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal to determine whether there are valid grounds for designating the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party as an unlawful association.

The notification issued by the central government declares the establishment of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal, comprising Justice Sachin Datta from the High Court of Delhi. Its primary task is to ascertain whether there exists adequate reason for designating the JKDFP as an unlawful association.

In October 2023, the Government of India officially categorized the ‘Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party’ (JKDFP) as an ‘Unlawful Association’ in accordance with Section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) 1967.

The press statement released concerning this matter highlighted that the organization, since 1998, has been actively engaged in anti-national activities, consistently advocating separatism and perpetrating terrorist acts within India.

The members of this organization have been accused of inciting the populace with the aim of establishing Kashmir as a separate Islamic state, a move deemed detrimental to the sovereignty, security, and integrity of India.

Numerous criminal cases have been filed against this organization under a range of legal provisions including various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, the Indian Penal Code 1860, the Arms Act 1959, and the Ranbir Penal Code 1932.