Centre extends ban on Zakir Naik’s IRF for five more years

NEW DELHI – The Centre on Friday declared Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) an unlawful association for another five years, a day before the existing ban under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) was due to expire.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notification, S.O. 6182(E), dated November 13, 2026 and seen by Nagaland.News, takes effect immediately. It is signed by Rakesh Rathi, Joint Secretary, and carries file number F. No. 14017/4/2026-NI-MFO.

This is the third time the Mumbai-founded organisation has been banned since 2016. The extension was first reported by ANI and The Federal.

What the Zakir Naik IRF ban notification says

According to the gazette notification, the IRF has been “indulging in activities” that are prejudicial to the security of the country and could disturb peace, communal harmony and “the secular fabric of the country”.

The ministry names Naik, the IRF’s founder and president, directly. It says his statements and speeches are “objectionable and subversive”, that he has promoted enmity between religious groups, and that he has inspired “youths of a particular religion in India and abroad to commit terrorist acts”. It adds that his speeches reach millions worldwide through satellite television, the internet, print and social media.

If the IRF is not curbed immediately, the notification says, it could re-organise “activists who are still absconding”, propagate anti-national sentiments and “escalate secessionism by supporting militancy”. The government invoked Sub-sections (1) and (3) of Section 3 of the UAPA. Sub-section (3) allows a ban to take effect at once, without waiting for a tribunal’s confirmation, when the government records its reasons in writing.

These are the government’s allegations. Naik has previously denied any link to terrorism, and neither he nor the IRF had responded to the latest notification at the time of writing.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah welcomed the decision on X, describing Naik as a “fugitive terror preacher” and saying the extension followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “vision of zero tolerance towards terrorism”, ANI reported.

A ban renewed every five years since 2016

The IRF was first declared unlawful on November 17, 2016, through notification S.O. 3460(E), months after the July 1, 2016 attack on a café in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in which more than 20 people were killed. One of the attackers was reported to have said he was inspired by Naik’s speeches, The Tribune reported at the time of the 2021 extension. Naik left India in 2016.

The ban was renewed on November 15, 2021, through S.O. 4731(E). On both occasions, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal confirmed the declaration, in orders published on May 22, 2017 and March 30, 2022, the new notification records.

Friday’s notification was issued with one day to spare. Under Section 6(1) of the UAPA, the 2021 declaration was to cease on November 14, 2026, so the new order avoids any gap in which the IRF would have been a lawful body.

What happens next: the UAPA tribunal review

The ban is in force now, but it is not final. Under Section 4 of the UAPA, the Centre must refer the notification to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal within 30 days, so that it can decide whether there is “sufficient cause” for the declaration.

The tribunal, headed by a sitting High Court judge, issues a notice asking the organisation to show cause, within 30 days, why it should not be declared unlawful. After hearing both sides, it must pass an order within six months confirming or cancelling the declaration. That is why the notification says it applies “subject to any order that may be made under Section 4”.

Once a declaration is in force, membership of the organisation, taking part in its meetings or helping its activities can be prosecuted under Section 10 of the Act, and its funds and premises can be restricted under Sections 7 and 8.

Where is Zakir Naik now?

Naik has lived in Malaysia since leaving India and holds permanent residency there. India made a formal request for his extradition on January 19, 2018, and followed it with a diplomatic note in May 2020.

Malaysia has not acted on it. On November 3, 2026, Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told Parliament in a written reply that “the Malaysian government has decided not to extradite Dr Zakir Naik to India, and no commitment has been made either”, The Vibes reported. He cited Article 6 of the 2010 India-Malaysia extradition treaty and said no new request had been received from India.

Naik has said he will not return to India while the BJP remains in power, according to the same outlet. Ten days after Malaysia’s reply, the renewed ban signals that New Delhi’s position on him and his organisation has not changed.

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