Jammu and Kashmir clamps down on anti‑national material, court upholds UAPA charges and government orders book screening

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court ruled that posters deliberately seeking to alienate the region’s residents from the rest of India constitute an offence under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The Division Bench upheld charges against two accused, Adnan Bashir Bangroo and Mohammad Manan Dar, after police recovered 39 posters linked to the banned group The Resistance Front, a bottle of glue and cash, and presented forensic and digital evidence tying the suspects to a Pakistan‑based handler.

Separately, the J&K government issued a directive mandating the screening of books deemed to contain “anti‑national” content before they can be placed in schools or libraries. Officials say the measure protects youth and national integrity, while opposition parties criticize it as censorship that threatens academic freedom. The policy has sparked debate over the criteria for labeling material as anti‑national and its potential impact on literary diversity in the region.