A special tribunal in Delhi has upheld the Centre's decision to ban Islamic preacher Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation, IRF, for five years. It said there are sufficient reasons, including posing a threat to India's security, to declare it an unlawful association.<br/><br/>The tribunal, headed by Justice Sangeeta Dhingra of the Delhi High Court, found that Naik has failed to participate in the legal proceedings before it and was absconding and untraceable.<br/><br/>IRF had moved the tribunal against the 17th November, 2016<br/>notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs imposing an immediate ban on the organisation under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.