Centre sets up tribunal to review ban on J&K separatist leader Shabir Shah's DFP; triggers speculations

The development comes over two weeks after the MHA banned the separatist outfit under the stringent UAPA triggering speculations over Shabir Shah possibly contesting mainstream elections in near future.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): In a significant development with regard to separatism in Jammu and Kashmir, the Government of India has constituted a high level tribunal headed by a judge of the Delhi High Court to review ban on the separatist outfit Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) headed by jailed separatist leader Shabir Shah, local inputs said.

The development, which comes two weeks after the Union Home Ministry banned the separatist outfit, has triggered speculations about the separatist leader contesting mainstream elections in near future. Local inputs said that the Centre has constituted a tribunal headed by Justice Sachin Datta, Judge, High Court of Delhi to decide whether there is sufficient cause for declaring the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) as an unlawful association.

The DFP headed by jailed separatist leader Shabir Shah was banned by the MHA earlier this month under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA),1967. It can be recalled that a notification was issued by Additional Secretary MHA Praveen Vashista to the effect of banning the DFP. “There in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central Government hereby declares the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) as an unlawful association.

Accordingly, in exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to sub-section (3) of section 3 of the said Act, the Central Government hereby directs that this notification shall, subject to any order that may be made under section 4 of the said Act, have effect for a period of five years from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette,” the notification read.

However it is learnt that in a fresh notification, the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) has set-up a tribunal headed by Justice Sachin Datta, Judge, High Court of Delhi to for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for banning JKDFP headed by jailed Kashmiri separatist Shabir Shah. The Centre's rare move to review the ban on a J&K mainstream outfit amid the BJP's “zero tolerance to terrorism” stand has triggered speculations that separatist Shabir Shah might contest mainstream elections in the region in near future.