India, July 14 -- The Centre, before Delhi high court on Monday, questioned the maintainability of Popular Front of India (PFI)'s petition against a tribunal's order upholding the five-year ban imposed on the organisation under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, asserting that the court did not have the authority to issue directions to the tribunal.

Additional solicitor general SV Raju, on behalf of the government, submitted before a bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Tushar Rao Gedela that the UAPA tribunal was manned by a sitting judge of the Delhi high court, and thus the order could not be challenged under Article 226 of the Constitution of India.

To be sure, Article 226 of the Constitution deals with the power of hig...