Reference to Tribunal

In force From 30 Dec 1967 Act 37 of 1967 As on 17 Oct 2026

Act 37 of 1967 Ministry Home Affairs Enacted 30 Dec 1967 In force 30 Dec 1967 Cited by 3 provisions Instruments 28

Section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 deals with reference to Tribunal. Where any association has been declared unlawful by a notification issued under sub-section (1) of section 3, the Central Government shall, within thirty days from the date of the publication of the notification under the said sub-section, refer the notification to the Tribunal for the purpose of ad The Act came into force on 30 Dec 1967.

(1) Where any association has been declared unlawful by a notification issued under sub-section (1) of section 3, the Central Government shall, within thirty days from the date of the publication of the notification under the said sub-section, refer the notification to the Tribunal for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the association unlawful.
(2) On receipt of a reference under sub-section (1), the Tribunal shall call upon the association affected by notice in writing to show cause, within thirty days from the date of the service of such notice, why the association should not be declared unlawful.
(3) After considering the cause, if any, shown by the association or the office-bearers or members thereof, the Tribunal shall hold an inquiry in the manner specified in section 9 and after calling for such further information as it may consider necessary from the Central Government or from any office-bearer or member of the association, it shall decide whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the association to be unlawful and make, as expeditiously as possible and in any case within a period of six months from the date of the issue of the notification under sub-section (1) of section 3, such order as it may deem fit either confirming the declaration made in the notification or cancelling the same.
(4) The order of the Tribunal made under sub-section (3) shall be published in the Official Gazette.
Section 4, The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (Act 37 of 1967).

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

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Referred to by 3

Judgments citing this section

These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.

Supreme Court of India 01 May 2023 SCIN010327642022

… by special leave are at the instance of five under trial accused charged with having committed offences punishable under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (for short, 'the IPC'), Sections 17, 18, 18B and 20 respectively of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (for short, 'the UAPA') and Sections 4 and 5 respectively of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 (for short, 'the 1908 Act') and are directed against the order passed by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh dated 26.04.2022 in CRA-D No. 47 of 2021 (O&M) by which, the High Court dismissed the appeal and thereby declined to release the accused …

Read this order on eCourtsIndia

Made under this section, and citing it

7 instruments state that it was made under this provision — the power to make it comes from here, so a change to any of them changes what this section requires in practice. Newest first.

Another 21 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.

All subordinate legislation

Questions about Section 4

What does Section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act deal with?

Section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is headed "Reference to Tribunal". Where any association has been declared unlawful by a notification issued under sub-section (1) of section 3, the Central Government shall, within thirty days from the date of the publication of the notification under the said sub-section, refer the notification to the Tribunal for the purpose of ad

How do I find court cases under Section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Uapa 4, section 4 Uapa, section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.

What should I read with Section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on section 3 (Declaration of an association as unlawful), section 9 (Procedure to be followed in the disposal of applications under this Act), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 3 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. The rules and notifications made under it are where it actually bites, and there are 7: most recently Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), Jammu and Kashmir declared as an unlawful association (2019), then Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Mohd. Yasin Malik faction) as an Unlawful association (2019), and 5 more.

When did Section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act come into force?

Section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, cited as Uapa 4, came into force on 30 Dec 1967, having been enacted on 30 Dec 1967. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 17 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.