The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a petition challenging the extension of the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), thereby upholding the decision of a judicial tribunal that had confirmed the government’s move.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed the plea against the tribunal’s July 24, 2024 order, which had validated the Centre’s decision to extend the ban on SIMI for another five years.
The ban was extended by the Union government on January 29, 2024, under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. A tribunal was later constituted to assess the validity of the extension, as required by the law.
SIMI, which was first declared an unlawful association in 2001 during the tenure of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, has faced successive extensions of the ban over the past two decades. Authorities have repeatedly cited the organisation’s alleged involvement in activities deemed prejudicial to India’s sovereignty, integrity, and communal harmony.
Founded on April 25, 1977, at Aligarh Muslim University, SIMI initially functioned as a student and youth wing aligned with the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JEIH). The organisation officially severed ties with JEIH in 1993 through a resolution asserting its independent identity.
With the Supreme Court’s refusal to intervene, the five-year extension remains in force, reaffirming the Centre’s stance on national security concerns associated with the organisation.
