Centre designates Shahzad Bhatti Network a terrorist organisation under UAPA

The Union government on Wednesday designated the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), making it the 46th group to be listed under the law. The listing was notified by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

In its notification, the MHA said the network, led by Shahzad Bhatti, poses a “serious threat to the democratic system, communal harmony, and internal security of the country” through its terrorist activities. Bhatti, who officials say has been operating from the United Arab Emirates, is described in official accounts as having moved from organised crime to terror-related activities over the past year and a half.

The notification lists nine categories of offences registered against those linked to the network under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act, the Explosives Substances Act, the UAPA, the Official Secrets Act, the Immigration and Foreigners Act, and the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act. The Ministry said several criminal cases have been registered across multiple jurisdictions, but the notification does not name specific incidents, individuals or pending prosecutions.

According to the MHA, the network sought to draw “gullible youth” and local criminals into the smuggling of arms, explosives and narcotics across the border. It also accused the SBN of radicalising vulnerable young people through inducements, pushing them towards anti-national activity, and mobilising resources in collusion with other banned organisations and designated entities.

“SBN is promoting terrorism through violent activities that disrupt public order, and by using various digital communication platforms to disseminate provocative messages, posing a serious challenge to the integrity of the nation,” the notification said, adding that the Central Government believes the network “is involved in terrorism and has participated in various acts of terrorism in India”.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in a post on X: “Pursuing PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s vision of zero tolerance against terror, the MHA declares the Shahzad Bhatti Network as a terrorist organisation under the UAPA.”

Officials said the network is associated with a country-wide anti-terror operation carried out on Independence Day, in which more than 200 people were arrested. Bhatti, who speaks Punjabi, maintains a substantial presence on Instagram and Facebook, where he posts regularly, officials added.

The designation places the SBN in the First Schedule of the UAPA. Listing as a terrorist organisation allows the state to ban the group, prosecute those associated with it, freeze or attach its funds, and criminalise material support to it. The UAPA also provides for the designation of individuals as terrorists. Such notifications are subject to review by a tribunal constituted under the Act and can be challenged in court.

The Centre has steadily expanded the list of designated organisations in recent years. Successive governments have argued that the power is essential to disrupt financing and recruitment networks that operate across borders. Civil liberties groups, however, have questioned the use of the law, pointing to the high proportion of cases that end in acquittal and to long periods of pre-trial detention.

In this instance, the government has not made public the evidence cited in the notification, and the specific cases referred to by the MHA have not been detailed in the order. The practical effect of Wednesday’s decision is that any person found associating with, funding or promoting the Shahzad Bhatti Network can now be proceeded against under the UAPA, in addition to the other laws named in the notification.