SC refers SIMI petition to larger bench

New Delhi, Mar 7 (UNI) The Supreme Court today referred to a larger bench a petition filed by the Students of Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) challenging the ban imposed on it by the Central Government for indulging in unlawful and anti-national activities.

A bench comprising Justices S B Sinha and Markandey Katju, however, made it clear that the state was free to proceed against the activists of the banned organisation if they are found indulging in unlawful and anti-national activities and there was no stay against such prosecution from this court.

This is the third petition which has been filed by the SIMI against the ban while the two petitions filed earlier against the two ban orders are already pending in this court.

The court had made it clear that SIMI was a secessionist organisation and continued to be so.

UNI