Kerala HC asks PFI to deposit Rs 5 crore for damaging public properties during its post-raid protest

The PFI members held protests across Kerala on September 23, a day after nationwide searches were conducted against the outfit by multi-agency teams led by NIA and over 100 leaders and activists of the group.

TN National Desk

Updated Sep 29, 2022, 13:57 IST

Broken windshield of a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus after some miscreants threw stones on it during a hartal called by the Popular Front of India

Broken windshield of a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus after some miscreants threw stones on it during a PFI hartal

Photo : PTI

New Delhi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday directed the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and its state general secretary Abdul Sathar to deposit over Rs five crore for the damages caused to public properties during its protest in the state last week.

The HC asked the PFI’s Kerala general secretary to deposit Rs 5.20 crore towards the damages estimated by the state as well as Kerala State Road Transport Corporation as arising from the destruction caused to public property following the PFI protests across Kerala.

The amount has to be deposited with the Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department within two weeks.

The court directed the state government to invoke the provisions of the Revenue Recovery Act if the amount is not deposited within two weeks and to take immediate steps to proceed against the assets of the PFI along with personal assets of its office bearers including the Secretary for the realisation of the deposit amount.

On September 22, the National Investigation Agency (NIA)-led multi-agency teams arrested 106 leaders and activists of the PFI in 15 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country. The NIA is investigating 19 cases involving the PFI.

Days after the raids, the Central government declared the Islamic group and its associates or affiliates or fronts as an unlawful association for five years.

The Union Home Ministry, in a late Tuesday night notification, said that PFI and its associates and affiliates found to have been involved in serious offences, including “terrorism, its financing, targeted gruesome killings, disregarding Constitutional set up of India, disturbing public order etc. prejudicial to India's integrity, security, sovereignty.”

The ministry said there had been several instances of international linkages of PFI with global terrorist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The PFI, the notification alleged, is encouraging and trying to enforce a terror-based regressive regime, continue to propagate anti-national sentiments and radicalising a particular section of society to create disaffection against the country, aggravating activities which are detrimental to the integrity, security and sovereignty of the country.

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