The Indian government has formally designated the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) as a terrorist entity, according to a gazette notification released by the Union Home Affairs Ministry on Wednesday. The move utilizes Section 35(1)(a) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which allows the government to add groups to the First Schedule of the Act, effectively banning them.

By placing the network on this list, the government has signaled that the group is officially recognized as a terrorist organization under Indian law. This legal designation typically triggers a range of consequences, including the freezing of assets, the prohibition of funding, and the criminalization of membership or support for the group. The notification serves as the formal mechanism to implement these restrictions nationwide. While the government has taken this administrative step, the specific evidence or recent activities that prompted this designation were not detailed in the initial gazette notification. The action reflects a broader ongoing effort by Indian authorities to curb the influence of organizations they identify as operating from outside the country’s borders.