"Jamiat-Ulema-i-Hind a serious national security threat for direct association with Al-Qaeda, LeT, JeM & Indian Mujahideen": Lawyer seeks multi-agency investigation

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A plea has been filed before Ministry of Home Affairs seeking high level multi agency joint investigation by National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate, CBI into alleged terror funding activities by Jamiat-Ulema-i-Hind. The plea has sought for a house arrest arrest of all its office bearers and thoroughly investigated them by all agencies.

The plea by advocate and social activist Vibhor Anand, states that Jamiat has been involved in gross Anti-India activities and is also one of the premier Halal Certification organisations of the world. It further states that Jamiat was founded by Islamic scholars belonging to the Deobandi school of thought in India in November 1919.

According to the plea, the outfit has its presence in almost all states of the country and has established wings such as Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Halal Trust and the Legal Cell Institute among others. Anand claims that Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind’s Legal Cell institute, helps Muslims accused of terrorism to fight legal battles.

It is Anand's case that the person who set up the outfit, Arshad Madani (in 2007) and has as of March 2022 has extended Legal Aid to more than 700 people accused in terror cases in the country and has also aided in getting 192 people acquitted across India.

The plea states that according to Madani, the Legal Aid Cell was set up by the outfit when he saw that "innocent people are picked up and incarcerated regularly on different charges in India which led to their families spending their savings and selling their assets and homes to fight the legal battle in order to prove their innocence".

According to the plea a May 2019 media report by the  organisation states, "the first three cases that the legal cell took up were the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts, the 2006 Malegaon blasts and the Aurangabad Arms haul case in September 2007." 

The plea states that the people accused in these cases were represented by lawyer Shahid Azmi, who later defended Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin, both of who were accused in the 2008 Mumbai Attacks

According to the plea, the Institute has defended nine Muslim youth who were accused of the 2006 Malegaon blasts, and all of them were acquitted in 2016. The plea states that the institute has provided legal aid in defence of terror accused in other cases such as the Mulund blast case, the Gateway of India blasts case, and the 13/7 Mumbai triple blasts

It states that Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has openly declared and published the list of terror cases in which it is financially helping persons accused of acts of terrorism. According to the plea, Jamiat has been providing legal aid to accused in following cases amongst others

  • The German Bakery bomb blast case (Mirza Himayat Baig v/s State of Maharashtra)
  • Lashkar Connection Case (Abdul Rahman V/s State SLP)
  • ISIS conspiracy case Kochi (State of Kerala v/s Arshi Qureshi & others)
  • ISIS conspiracy case Mumbai (Arshi Qurashi & others v/s State of Maharashtra)
  • ISIS conspiracy case (State of Rajasthan v/s Sirajuddin)
  • 26/11 Mumbai attack case (Syed Zabiuddin v/s State of Maharashtra)
  • Zaveri Bazar Serial Blast (State v/s Azaz Shaikh and others)
  • Jama Masjid Blast Case (Delhi State V/s Qateel Siddqui Others)

In this light, Anand stated that the outfit is a serious National Security threat because of its direct association with the terrorists and terror organizations like Al- Qaeda, LeT, JeM and Indian Mujahideen.

According to the plea, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind organisation boasts of having 12 Million active member and plans to recruit over 1.2 Million Muslim youth every year in its Jamait Youth Club and provide physical and arms training under the garb of scout training.

"The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind organisation boasts of having 12 Million active member and plans to recruit over 1.2 Million muslim youth every year in its Jamait Youth Club and provide physical and arms training under the garb of scout training. It is hard to imagine the extent of National Security Threat that is and would be posed if the Jamait – Ulama – e- Hind an organization which has in the last 15 years directly and openly supported financially and legally over 700+ terror accused in India achieves its aim of having an army of fully trained 12 Million Muslims Youths in India," Anand has alleged

Anand alleges that the above mentioned facts prove that "is a National Security Threat because of its association with terrorist organisations such as Al- Qaeda, LeT, JeM and Indian Mujahideen".

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been urged to Initiate a high level multi agency investigation by the NIA, ED, CBI etc. into everyday affairs and functioning of the Jamait – Ulama – e- Hind organization and has urges MHA to freeze all assets and bank accounts of the organisation and restrict all their activities until the multi agency investigation is completed and place all office bearers of the organisation under house arrest and be thoroughly investigated by all agencies.