Govt extends ban on pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice for 5 years

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday extended the ban on pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), founded by US-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by five years for its continuing anti-India activities.

SFJ has been banned since 2019 due to its involvement in anti-national and subversive activities in Punjab and other regions. The Centre’s decision in 2019 to declare SFJ as an unlawful association under UAPA was upheld by a tribunal which rejected the SFJ’s contentions that utterances, acts and social media posts by its members were innocent in character and had no repercussions in India.

“The Central Government hereby extends the declaration of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) as an unlawful association and directs that this notification have effect for a further period of five years from the 10th day of July, 2024,” the MHA notification issued on Tuesday said.

It said the Central government was of the opinion that SFJ continues to indulge in activities prejudicial to the integrity and security of the country and is involved in anti-national and subversive activities in Punjab and elsewhere, intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.

It said that the SFJ is in close touch with the militant outfits and activists, and was supporting violent forms of extremism and militancy in Punjab and elsewhere to carve out a sovereign Khalistan out of territory of India.

The SFJ started in 2007 as a human rights advocacy group with its legal adviser, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, as the most vocal member. The group has emerged as the face of the separatist campaign leading MHA to notify the group as a banned outfit in 2019. Pannun is also notified as a terrorist by the government.