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Kerala High Court slams PFI shutdown call, says 'nobody can call bandh without permission'

The hartal was called by the PFI to protest against the raids in the offices and residences of its leaders and their subsequent arrests on Thursday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other agencies for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.

Kerala High Court slams PFI shutdown call, says 'nobody can call bandh without permission' AJR
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First Published Sep 23, 2022, 12:49 PM IST

A day after central agencies carried out raids in multiple locations across the country, the Kerala High Court on Friday took suo moto cognizance of the statewide shutdown call given by the PFI (Popular Front of India) group.

Amid the 12-hour strike, the court said, "Nobody can call for a bandh in the state without permission." The dawn-to-dusk strike by the controversial outfit comes amid a widening crackdown by central agencies.

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The state high court also said that Kerala police "should ensure that adequate measures are put in place to prevent any damage or destruction to public and private property of government and citizens who do not support the call for strike."

On Friday, as the bandh began, incidents of stone-pelting and attack on state-run buses were reported. The incidents of violence, were, however, sporadic. Visuals also showed members of the outfit marching in Kottayam and Kochi.

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The hartal was called by the PFI to protest against the raids in the offices and residences of its leaders and their subsequent arrests on Thursday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other agencies for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country. 

Pointing out that hartals were banned by it earlier, the court directed the state government to take strict action against those who violate its order. The destruction of public property is unacceptable, it said. 

More than 100 functionaries were arrested on terror funding charges. The organisation has been accused of links to a raft of hate crimes and murders.

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On Thursday, raids were carried out in Delhi, Karnataka, and Assam among other parts of the country. Parvez Ahmad - the chief of the Delhi unit of the PFI - was among those arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

He has been accused of developing links with some underground activists of the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), a banned organisation, while he lived in Saudi Arabia for 14 years, according to intelligence sleuths aware of the matter.

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