The Centre on Thursday reconstituted a tribunal to adjudicate on the extension of a ban imposed on eight insurgent groups in Manipur for involvement in unlawful activities.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, in a notification, said the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal was set up under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and will be headed by Justice GS Sistani of the Delhi High Court will lead the tribunal.
The tribunal will adjudicate whether or not there is “sufficient cause for declaring the Meitei extremist organisations of Manipur as unlawful associations”.
The groups named in the notification are the Peoples’ Liberation Army, the Revolutionary Peoples’ Front, the United National Liberation Front, the Manipur Peoples’ Army, the Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, and its armed wing the “Red Army”, the Kangleipak Communist Party and its armed wing, also called the “Red Army”, the Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup, the Coordination Committee and the Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak.
On December 12, the Centre had constituted the tribunal headed by Delhi High Court Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal, according to PTI.
In November, the Ministry of Home Affairs had extended a ban on the eight insurgent groups by five years. The ministry said that the banned groups, which it called “Meitei extremist organisations”, had been attacking security forces, the police, government employees and “law-abiding citizens” in Manipur.
The ministry had said that the outlawed groups were involved in 756 violent incidents from January 1, 2013 to July 31, 2018, in which 86 people were killed, including 35 security personnel.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!