The Popular Front of India (PFI) and its leaders’ possessions must now be attached, according to a deadline set by the Kerala high court for the state government.
The ultimatum has been given for Monday (January 23), and the court must be informed of any compliance related to it, TOI reported.
A division bench of Justices A Jayasankaran Nambiar and Mohammed Nias CP further ruled that it was improper for the government to notify PFI leaders prior to seizing their assets.
It continued by saying that it was unnecessary because the HC had ordered attachment after PFI failed to pay Rs 5.20 crore for the damage that the illegal hartal on September 23, 2022, caused to both public and private property.
When the court questioned why notifications were being served on PFI leaders, the state attorney claimed that since recovery procedures under the Revenue Recovery Act had been ordered to be started, the government believed that compliance with its protocol was required.
The HC stated that the government’s interpretation of the court’s instructions from December 23 was incorrect, “we are of the view that the government should have straightaway proceeded to attach the properties and bring the same for the realisation of the aforesaid amount of Rs 5. 20 crore by following the procedure under Section 35 of the Revenue Recovery Act. . . ”
An extreme and exclusivist brand of Muslim minority politics is practised by the Popular Front of India (PFI), an organisation of Muslims in Indian politics. In September 2022, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs imposed a five-year ban on the PFI under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
