Interpol cancels Red Corner Notice against preacher Zakir Naik, deletes all data on him

The Interpol has cancelled the Red Corner Notice issued by it against Dr Zakir Naik and has deleted all data on the controversial Islamic preacher. The decision was taken by the Interpol's Commission in its 102nd session held on 24-27 October 2017 and data on Naik was deleted from its database on November 9. 

This was conveyed by the Interpol to Naik's London-based legal firmCorker Binning in a letter dated December 11, 2017. The Interpol contended that there was a severe lack of evidentiary basis, a failure by Indian authorities to follow due process of law, political and religious bias that formed the basis of such a notice, and lack of international interest.

The Interpol's Commission found after thorough examination that the request from the Indian NCB was not compliant with Interpol's rules and thus decided the lndian government's request for Red Corner notice should be cancelled. Furthermore, the Interpol general secretariat has informed all. 

Interpol NCB's that it has deleted the information relating to Dr Zakir Naik and urged all



NCB's to update their national databases accordingly.

The Interpol was listening to the request made by The National Central Bureau of Interpol of India made in May 2017 pertaining to Naik. The Indian NCB of Interpol had requested for Red Corner Notice of Dr Zakir Naik for "promoting enmity between two different religious groups ongrounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony, being a member of unlawful Association etc".

The Indian government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had banned Dr Zakir Naik and his organisation, the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) in November last year. 

Following the ban, all the operations of IRF were stopped, and all the staff relieved of their duties. Dr Naik also lost his Islamic International School, a school that he had founded and developed over the Harvard pattern of academics. Despite protests, the School's bank accounts were frozen by the Indian authorities following the ban. 

NIA has also charged him for radicalising youth.