MHA Constitutes Tribunal to Review ULFA's Status as an Unlawful Association

New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted an Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal to determine whether there is sufficient cause to declare the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), including all its factions, wings, and front organisations, as an unlawful association.

The tribunal will be headed by Justice Michael Zothankhuma of the Gauhati High Court, mentioning a gazette notification issued by the MHA.

The MHA took the move to exercise the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 5 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967).

MHA decided to constitute the tribunal almost a month after it extended the ban on the ULFA for the next five years for its role in continuing to work to secede Assam from India and maintain links with other insurgent groups for extortion and violence.

The outfit was first banned in 1990 and since then the ban has been extended periodically. It was last banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, of 1967 on November 27, 2019.

While extending the ban, the MHA, in a notification issued at the end of November, categorically stated that the ULFA, along with all its factions, wings, and front organizations, was involved in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India.

"ULFA has declared its objective to secede Assam from India, continued intimidation and extortion of funds for their organisation, and maintained links with other insurgent groups for extortion and violence. The outfit has possessed illegal arms and ammunition, indulged in 16 criminal cases, including several cases of explosions or planting of explosives in Assam during the period from November 27, 2019, to July 1, 2024, and planted several improvised explosive devices or explosives in the run-up to Independence Day, 2024 across Assam," the notification they mentioned.

During the last five years, the MHA then added, three ULFA hardcore cadres were killed in police or security force action, 15 cases were registered against its cadres with three chargesheets filed and three cadres prosecuted.

It further stated that the outfit was involved in 27 other criminal activities, 56 of its cadres were arrested and 63 cadres were surrendered. Besides 27 arms, 550 rounds, nine grenades and two improvised explosive devices were recovered from the possession of the ULFA members, the Ministry had said.

"Now, therefore, in the 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 ULFA along with all its factions, wings and front organisations as an unlawful association for five years with effect from November 27, 2024," the notification then mentioned.

ULFA is among the list of 17 organisations currently named in the list of MHA as unlawful associations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, of 1967.

Other organisations named in the list as declared unlawful associations under the UAPA include the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI); National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB); Meitei Extremist Organizations, namely- (i) Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) and its political wing, the Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) (ii) United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its armed wing, the Manipur Peoples' Army (MPA) (iii) Peoples' Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and its Armed wing, the 'Red Army', (iv) Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and its armed wing, also called the 'Red Army', (v) Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL) (vi) Coordination Committee (CorCom) and (vii) Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak (ASUK).

Besides, the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF); National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT); Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC); Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE); National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) [NSCN (K)]; Islamic Research Foundation (IRF); Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), Jammu and Kashmir; Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Mohd, Yasin Malik faction); Sikhs for Justice (SFJ); Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associates or affiliates or fronts including Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National Women's Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala are other organisations declared as unlawful associations by the MHA.

Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP), Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction)/ (MLJK-MA), and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Jammu and Kashmir (TeH) are among other organisations listed as unlawful associations under UAPA.

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 can declare any organization as an unlawful association, which will apply to the entire country.

(This story has not been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)