Deedar-e-Anjuman ban to stay: SC

NEW DELHI: The supreme court on Monday refused to quash the Union government’s order banning Deedar-e-Anjuman for indulging in ‘subversive’ activities mostly in some western and southern states, as judges concerned with mounting terror told the organisation’s counsel “your professed activities may be something but your general activities are different”.

While dismissing Deedar-e-Anjuman’s petition challenging the Unlawful Activities Prevention Appellate Tribunal headed by Delhi high court justice Mukul Mudgal, the apex court bench of justices Arijit Pasayat and MK Sharma underlined the tribunal’s ruling that the 82-year-old organisation was actively involved in anti-national and anti-religious activities in Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Deedar was first banned in 2001 for two years after it was accused of engineering blasts in various cities in south India.

Justice Mudgal on February 27 later upheld the government’s fourth notification extending the ban on the outfit alleging that it attacked churches to forment Hindu-Christian animosity. Deedar-e-Anjuman had argued that there was no fresh evidence to show that it was involved in anti-national activities.

The sect first hit the headlines eight years ago when it was suspected to have set off serial blasts at places of worship in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa.
b_rakesh@dnaindia.net