25 PFI members, leaders charged under UAPA for trying to establish Islamic Caliphate in India
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A Delhi court on Friday (5 June 2026) ordered the filing of charges against 25 people associated with the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), including its chairman, saying investigations so far have revealed “serious suspicions” of a plot to overthrow India’s secular democratic government and establish an Islamic caliphate governed by Sharia law2047.
Next Session Justice Prashant Sharma of Patiala House Courts ordered that charges be framed under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused including PFI Chairman OMA Salam, Vice Chairman EM Abdul Rahiman, General Secretary Anis Ahmed (Founder Member National Council PFI, Founder Chairman National Council PFI. E. PFIC). Koya, NEC member Mohammed Ali Jinnah and several other national and state level functionaries. Similar allegations have been leveled at the PFI as an organization.
“The material on record as a whole raises serious suspicions that the accused acting through and on behalf of the Popular Front of India and its National Executive Council (NEC) connived and acted in furtherance of a single conspiracy to overthrow the secular democratic government of India and establish an Islamic caliphate under Sharia law in India by 2047 or earlier,” read the armed orders against the state.
The judge noted that the alleged conspiracy operated at several levels, with specific roles assigned to various accused. According to the order, some members were involved in strategic decision-making at the NEC level, while others were involved in state-level executions, recruitment, weapons training, terrorist financing and support activities associated with the Islamic State (ISIS).
The court referred to several meetings, training programs and organizational activities relied upon by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to establish what it termed a “meeting of minds” between the accused.
Among the events cited were the 2018 Leadership Eligibility Course in Pune, where NEC members reportedly conducted specialized sessions; the 2017 NEC meeting in Aurangabad where one accused was introduced as the All India Physical Education Coordinator; and an inspection visit to Hyderabad in 2021 by a senior PFI official.
The order also mentions meetings held during the 2021 Shaheen Bagh protests in Delhi, interactions related to the Mohalla Committee initiative in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, and meetings at Freedom Hall and Mithur in Karnataka.
A key piece of evidence cited by the court was the confidential document “Vision 2047,” which the prosecution said outlined the organization’s long-term goal of establishing Islamic rule in India. The court noted that the document allegedly identified one of the accused as the future emir of the proposed caliphate.
During the framing of charges hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi alleged that the banned organization was trying to radicalize Muslim youth, promote enmity against Hindus and build a network capable of destabilizing the country. He argued that the PFI hid its goals behind social activities and was working to create an Islamic state.
Mr Tyagi was assisted by Assistant Public Prosecutor Vikas Walia, Jatin Khatri, Advocate Amit Rohilla and Advocate Shubham Goyal.
The defense challenged the prosecution’s claim by comparing the PFI to the RSS, arguing that if it could defend the “Hindu rashtra”, the PFI could not be blamed for merely expressing support for the Nation of Islam.
The NIA registered a UAPA case against PFI leaders in April 2022. The Union government subsequently banned the organization and its branches. The ban was later upheld by the UAPA Tribunal.
Published – 5 Jun 2026 22:34 IST