UAPA Tribunal upholds ban on Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) for five years

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal on Friday upheld the Central government's decision to impose a 5-year ban on Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) as an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)..The Union government had in July 2024 declared SFJ as an unlawful association and imposed a ban on it for additional five years.The UAPA provides that no such ban shall come into effect unless the same is confirmed by the UAPA Tribunal by an order passed under Section 4 of the Act..The UAPA tribunal presided by the Delhi High Court judge Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta has now observed that evidence established SFJ’s connections with Khalistani terror groups such as Babbar Khalsa International and Khalistan Tiger Force, as well as its collaboration with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to revive militancy in Punjab. .It added that SFJ was involved in recruiting and radicalizing youth via social media, financing terror operations through smuggling networks, and issuing death threats to Indian leaders including the Prime Minister and Home Minister..The tribunal noted that there has been a significant surge in unlawful activities linked to SFJ between 2019 and 2024. Initially declared unlawful in 2019 with 11 FIRs registered against it, the organization was implicated in 122 FIRs by 2024, reflecting an alarming rise in its unlawful activities over five years, the tribunal said..SFJ was also found to have incited mutiny among Sikh personnel in the Indian Army and organized acts of vandalism promoting the Khalistan ideology. The tribunal noted that organization targeted critical infrastructure such as power plants and railways and also attempted to disrupt key national events including the G20 Summit.It also highlighted SFJ’s exploitation of cyber and social media platforms to further its separatist agenda. Automated calls and videos were used to incite separatist activities, circulate threats and disseminate propaganda urging acts like burning the Indian flag and disrupting national events, the tribunal added..The evidence presented before the tribunal included testimonies from 52 witnesses, comprising senior police and intelligence officials. This was supported by videos, documents, and direct admissions by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun..Accordingly, the tribunal concluded thar SFJ’s activities posed direct threats to India’s national security and it deemed SFJ’s activities a violation of the UAPA and the Indian Constitution.Thus, it upheld the ban on imposed by the government on the organisation..Additional Solicitor General SD Sanjay and advocate Rajat Nair appeared for the Union of India.