The Centre on Thursday appointed Delhi High Court judge, Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma, as the head of an Unlawful Activities Prevention Act Tribunal that will review the Centre’s five-year ban on the Popular Front of India and its affiliate organisations, Live Law reported.

The Popular Front of India was created in 2007 through the merger of three Muslim organisations in southern India. It describes itself as an organisation that works towards “the achievement of socio-economic, cultural and political empowerment of the deprived and the downtrodden and the nation at large”.

On September 28, the Popular Front of India, along with its associates, was banned for five years by the government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

A government notification alleged that the Muslim organisation along with its eight affiliates were involved in “violent terrorist activities” and intended to create a reign of terror in the country, endangering security and public order.

It also claimed that some founding members of the outfit are leaders of the Students Islamic Movement of India and have links with the terror group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh. Both organisations are banned in India.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act states that such a ban cannot come into effect unless confirmed by the tribunal. But, in exceptional circumstances, the notification can come into effect immediately once the reasons for it are recorded in writing. The tribunal can endorse or reject it.