The Supreme Court has extended the ban on Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) for another six weeks. A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan after hearing the matter posted the next hearing on September 24. The matter was brought in the Apex Court after a Special Tribunal headed by a High Court Justice Geeta Mittal had denied to continue ban on SIMI; the decision subsequently was challenged by the Centre.
The Centre on August 19 had filed a fresh affidavit in the Supreme Court urging it to extend its stay on a tribunal order lifting the ban on SIMI. The Centre had produced fresh evidence against SIMI as a proof of its involvement in the Ahmedabad serial blasts on July 26 and its nexus with international terror outfits.
Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam presented all the available evidences against the SIMI and said the outfit was still involved in the destructive activities. SIMI is an easy access by hardcore Muslim terrorist organisations operating from Jammu and Kashmir. It has also link with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba, a terror outfit involved in spreading terror and occurring blasts across the country.
"We are extending the stay on the Tribunal's order by another six weeks," the Bench said and posted the matter for further hearing on September 24 asking the Centre to present before it the details of arguments and other documents in support of its stand to ban SIMI.
Defence advocate Kamini Jaiswal, who was countering the arguments of Centre, said that High Court Tribunal had lifted the ban finding no fresh evidence.
Earlier on August 6, a day after a High Court Tribunal headed by Justice Geeta Mittal lifted the ban on SIMI saying lack of fresh evidences which could establish SIMI’s involvement in illegal activities, the Supreme Court had put an interim stay on the Tribunal's order. The SC also issued notice to SIMI and posted the matter for hearing after three weeks.
The ban was first imposed on SIMI in 2001 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and since then it has been extended after every two years.
The last notification on the ban, which was issued by the Home Ministry on February 7 this year and had to be in operation till 2010, but met with challenge in the tribunal. The February 7 notification issued by the Centre was the fourth extension of the ban. As per the government’s report, 1900 SIMI activists involved in 89 terrorist cases are behind bars in various jails.
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