Supreme Court Refuses to Lift Ban on Terror Group SIMI, Upholds Tribunal's 2024 Decision

The Supreme Court has upheld the 2024 tribunal decision to continue the five-year ban on SIMI. First banned in 2001, SIMI remains a banned organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The Supreme Court on Monday said it will not interfere with the government's decision to extend the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed a petition challenging the 2024 order of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) Tribunal, which had upheld a five-year extension of the ban on SIMI.

The Centre had renewed the ban on January 29, 2024 saying the group still posed a threat to national security.

Why the ban was challenged

A petition was filed against the tribunal's decision, questioning whether SIMI still posed a serious threat to justify the continued ban.

The UAPA Tribunal had on July 24, 2024, confirmed that SIMI's activities were 'unlawful' under the law. After reviewing the evidence presented by the government, the tribunal found enough grounds to keep the group banned for another five years.

The Supreme Court, however, declined to go into the details of the case and refused to overturn the tribunal's findings.

What is SIMI?

The Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) was founded on April 25, 1977, at Aligarh Muslim University. Its founding president was Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqi, who later moved to the US and is now a professor at Western Illinois University. Siddiqi has since distanced himself from the group, calling its direction 'inappropriate and wrong'.

SIMI began as a student wing inspired by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JEIH), but it separated from the parent group in 1993. Over time, SIMI was accused of adopting radical views and promoting an extremist ideology.

SIMI's controversial history

SIMI attracted national attention as early as 1981, when its members greeted Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat with black flags during his visit to India. The group claimed Arafat was a puppet of Western powers, a view that was opposed by older members of Jamaat-e-Islami.

SIMI openly supported the 1979 Iranian Revolution and began to promote a more communal and hardline agenda. This eventually led to a split from its original supporters and the creation of a new student group called SIO (Students Islamic Organisation) under the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.

Why SIMI was banned

SIMI was first banned on September 26, 2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks in the United States. The Indian government considered SIMI a threat to national security, citing links to extremist activities. The ban has been extended multiple times over the years.

The second ban lasted from September 27, 2003 to September 27, 2005. SIMI briefly operated legally for a few months before being banned again on February 8, 2006. During these periods, many of its members were arrested under various anti-terror laws like the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, MCOCA, and the UAPA.

The ban on SIMI will now remain in force until 2029 unless the government or tribunal reconsiders it earlier. SIMI’s appeal has failed at both the tribunal and Supreme Court levels.

Many of SIMI’s former members have either aged out of the group, since it has a 30-year age limit, or are facing court cases filed during earlier bans.

The government has maintained that SIMI continues to pose a risk to peace and order, while some critics argue that the group has been largely inactive for years. Despite this, courts have supported the government's stand based on classified inputs and security assessments.

(With agency inputs)