New Delhi: A section of former Supreme Court and High Court judges along with senior advocates have appealed to the Supreme Court to take suo-motu cognisance of “recent incidents of violence and repression by state authorities on citizens in Uttar Pradesh.”
The letter comes after Prayagraj administration bulldozed the house of Welfare Party of India leader Javed Mohammad after naming him “mastermind” of protests against BJP leaders’ remarks against Islam. Protests had taken place all over the country on 10 June.
In Uttar Pradesh, Police announced the names of “key conspirators” soon afterwards and began demolition drives in Kanpur, Saharanpur and Prayagraj, claiming they had been living in illegal establishments.
The signatories of the letter note, “Instead of giving protestors an opportunity of being heard and engaging in peaceful protests, UP State administration appears to have sanctioned taking violent action against such individuals.” The letter observes how Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested more than 300 people and registered FIRs against protest. The letter says, “videos of young men in Police custody being beaten with lathis, houses of protestors being demolished without notice or any cause of action and protestors from the minority Muslim community being chased and beaten by the Police are circulating on social media, shaking the conscience of the nation”.
The judges and advocates call the “brutal clampdown” by the ruling government an “unacceptable subversion of the rule of law and a violation of the rights of citizens.” The letter adds, [It] makes a mockery of the Constitution and fundamental rights guaranteed by the State.” “The coordinated manner in which the Police and development authorities have acted lead to the clear conclusion that demolitions are a form of collective extra judicial punishment, attributable to a state policy which is illegal,” it says. It stresses, “We hope and trust the Supreme Court will rise to the occasion and not let the citizens and the Constitution down at this critical juncture.” Web Desk
