NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea of the Popular Front of India (PFI) challenging an order of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) Tribunal confirming the 5-year ban imposed on it by the Centre.

The bench headed by Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M. Trivedi heard the plea and directed the PFI to approach the high court first.

The bench opined that "constitutional writ jurisdiction ought to be the forum approached first..." and granted the PFI liberty to approach the concerned high court.

In 2022, the Centre banned the PFI for five years for its alleged links with global terror groups and terror funding.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a notification said that the Central government has decided to ban the PFI as it has been involved in “subversive activities, thereby disturbing public order and undermining constitutional set up of the country and encouraging and enforcing a terror-based regressive regime."