AMN / New Delhi
Six former judges of the Supreme Court and high courts, along with several senior advocates, have made an urgent appeal to Chief Justice of India NV Ramana to take suo motu cognisance of “recent incidents of violence and repression by state authorities on citizens in UP”.
Terming the demolitions and custodial beatings in UP after the June 10 protests in several parts of the state as “unacceptable subversion of the rule of law and violation of the rights of citizens”, the letter observes that these are “critical” times during which the mettle of the judiciary is tested. The letter has been signed by former judges of the top court Justices B Sudarshan Reddy, V Gopala Gowda and AK Ganguly, former Chief Justice of Delhi HC AP Shah, former judge of Madras HC Justice K Chandru and former judge of Karnataka HC Mohammed Anwar.
Among the senior lawyers who have signed the letter include Shanti Bhushan, Indira Jaising, CU Singh, Sriram Panchu, Prashant Bhushan and Anand Grover.
“Videos of young men in police custody being beaten up with lathis, houses of protesters being demolished without notice, and protesters from the minority Muslim community being chased and beaten by the police, are shaking the conscience of the nation,” it said.
Meanwhile, after demolishing the house of alleged mastermind of Friday’s violence, the Prayagraj authorities are going over a list of 37 other accused for possibly a similar action. The Prayagraj Development Authority is reportedly trying to identify the houses and action “according to the law” will be taken, if their building plans have not been approved.
The signatories on letter include:
- Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy, former judge of the Supreme Court,
- Justice V. Gopala Gowda, former judge of the Supreme Court,
- Justice A.K. Ganguly, former judge of the Supreme Court,
- Justice A.P. Shah, former Chief Justice of the Delhi high court and former chairperson of the Law Commission of India,
- Justice K. Chandru, former judge of the Madras high court,
- Justice Mohammed Anwar, former judge of the Karnataka high court,
- Shanti Bhushan, senior advocate, Supreme Court,
- Indira Jaisingh, senior advocate, Supreme Court,
- Chander Uday Singh, senior advocate, Supreme Court,
- Sriram Panchu, senior advocate, Madras high court,
- Prashant Bhushan, advocate, Supreme Court, and
- Anand Grover, senior advocate, Supreme Court.
The letter notes Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath’s exhortation to officials “to take such action against those guilty that it sets an example so that no one commits a crime or takes law into their hands in future.”
Meanwhile, the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has filed two fresh pleas in the Supreme Court, seeking directions to the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that no further demolitions are carried out in the state without following due process and that such exercise is done only after adequate notice. It has not been reported yet whether these petitions have been admitted.