The Narendra Modi government has notified a seven-member legal team headed by solicitor general Tushar Mehta to defend its decision to ban Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) as an unlawful organization under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.
Senior lawyer Sachin Datta, Amit Mahajan, Rajat Nair, Kanu Agrawal, Jay Prakash and Dhruv Pandey are part of the team who will represent the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) before the UAPA tribunal to defend the ban. On November 15, 2021, the Centre extended the ban on IRF headed by Zakir Naik by five more years under Section 3(1) of the UAPA.
Since each such notification of banning any outfit under UAPA is examined by a UAPA tribunal, the Centre has constituted a strong team of lawyers to defend the ban on IRF.
Earlier on December 13th, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the tribunal headed by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D N Patel under provisions of UAPA for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not grounds are sufficient to impose a ban on IRF as an unlawful association.
The tribunal is expected to take up the hearing of the matter on December 20.
IRF and Naik a threat to national security
IRF is headed by Zakir Naik (55) a radical Islamic preacher, who while promoting Islam always promotes ill-will against India, Hindus and instigates Muslim youths of India and abroad to commit terrorist acts.
Declared as proclaimed offender by the court of the National Investigation Agency, Naik ran away from India in 2016 and moved to Malaysia where he was granted permanent residency. On November 18, 2016, NIA had registered a case against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and UAPA, and his outfit was declared an ‘unlawful association’ by the government a day before the NIA registered the case.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) holding a terror funding probe, charged him for money laundering worth Rs 193.06 Crore and attached his properties worth over Rs 50 Crore.
In the fresh notification, the Centre has said that if the unlawful activities of IRF were not curbed, it would continue to create communal disharmony, propagate anti-national sentiments and support militancy.
Centre has said that his (Naik) speeches and statements are objectionable, subversive that promote enmity, hatred among religious groups that can disrupt the secular fabric of the country. Besides, he instigates youths to indulge in terrorist activities. The activities of IRF are prejudicial to the security of the country.
Naik promotes Islamic terrorism proved beyond doubt
Naik runs two television channels namely Peace TV and Peace TV Urdu which are banned in many countries including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Canada and the United Kingdom.
But he still has a huge viewership and an investigation of a couple of terrorist attack cases has revealed how he poisoned the mind of youths. His name surfaced in the 2016 Dhaka cafe bombing case. One of the bombers had admitted before told Bangladeshi investigators that he was influenced by the preaching of Naik.
Naik’s name surfaced in connection with the April bombings in Sri Lanka. Zahran Hashim, associated with National Thowheeth Jama’ath that took responsibility of the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka praised him. The terror attack had left 260 people dead.
Two youths from Kerala named as Yahya and Eeza who allegedly joined the Islamic State were inspired by Zakir Naik.
