Embarrassed by the lifting of ban on SIMI by a special tribunal for lack of evidence, the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday said it would challenge the order in the Supreme Court if necessary.
"If needed, the government will challenge in Supreme Court the order of the Special Tribunal," Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal told reporters.
The Ministry is studying the order and eliciting views of legal experts and a decision will be taken on the basis of their advice, he said, adding that prima facie it appeared that the objection was on technical grounds.
Jaiswal did not subscribe to the view that the tribunal order lifting the ban imposed by the Centre on the activities of the Students Islamic Movement of India was a setback to Home Ministry.
"I don't think so," was his reply when asked if the order was a setback to the ministry at a time when there is speculation of SIMI's role in the serial blasts in Ahmedabad and Bangalore.
The specially-designated tribunal headed by Justice Geeta Mittal of the Delhi High Court had yesterday noted in its order that there was no fresh evidence to justify the extension of the ban first imposed in 2001.
On the BJP blaming the "incompetence" of the Central government for the revocation of the ban on SIMI, Jaiswal said one should not expect anything else from the saffron party.
