The Delhi High Court has rejected a plea for interim bail by OMA Salam, the chairman of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI). Salam was seeking a two-week release citing personal tragedies, including the recent death of his daughter and his wife’s resultant depressive state. However, justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma found no sufficient grounds to grant the bail.
OMA Salam was arrested under the stringent anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), as part of a nationwide crackdown on the PFI by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2022. The agency has accused Salam and other members of the organization of engaging in activities aimed at raising funds for committing terrorist acts across various parts of the country. Furthermore, the NIA alleges that the PFI conducted camps to indoctrinate and train its cadres for these activities.
Prior to the ban, extensive raids were conducted across 11 states including Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Delhi, and Rajasthan. These operations were part of a multi-agency initiative led by the NIA, resulting in the detention and arrest of numerous PFI activists.
The government officially banned the PFI and several associated groups on September 28, 2022, for a period of five years. The ban was justified under the UAPA, citing the organization’s alleged connections with global terrorist organizations like ISIS.
