PUCL Condemns Arrest of Prof. Saibaba
"The exceptionally harsh, inconsiderate and violent treatment and arrest of Prof. Saibaba is for the reason that he has for long been a human rights defender who has consistently opposed abuse of law by the police and security forces in the name of encounters and asserted the primacy of `rule
PUCL of law’ principles as the basis for state action against people and organisations dubbed `extremist’, `terrorist’ or `maoist’. Saibaba has also been a long term critic of counter-terrorism policy of the government which sought to counter political violence through state violence. For the police, he represented a major threat to their lawlessness and therefore have been trying to somehow implicate him in some case or the other."
-- By Prof. Prabhakar Sinha National President, PUC & Dr. V. Suresh, National General Secretary, PUCL. 13 May 2014.
Democracy’s Challenge
-- JP Memorial Lecture By Sudhir Chandra
Vote for Principled Politics: USE NOTA effectively
-- PUCL statement by Prof. Prabhakar Sinha, President, National PUCL
and Dr. V. Suresh General Secretary, National PUCL
PUCL condemns sedition charge against 67 Kashmiri students
For the last 100 years, both the colonial British state and independent Indian governments have used anti-sedition laws as a tool of repression to silence anyone from questioning their actions. This draconian law has been invoked earlier against author and activist Arundhati Roy, well known doctor and PUCL National Vice-President Dr. Binayak Sen, journalist Seema Azad and cartoonist Aseem Trivedi.
A press statement by Dr. V. Suresh, Gen. Sec., PUCL, 7 March 2014
PUCL condemns shooting of 4 civilians in Ramban, Kashmir and demands independent judicial enquiry
Yet another enquiry commission blames AFSPA for fake encounters
In view of the latest report of abuse of the AFSPA, the PUCL again demands its withdrawal from the states where it is in force and its repeal from the statute book. We hope that the Apex Court will take note of the report and declare it unconstitutional as it has been found by all the enquiry committees to have been misused again and again for extra-judicial killings seriously infringing upon the right to life granted by the Constitution of India.
A Statement by Mahi Pal Singh, National Secretary PUCL, 17 July 2013
Emergency of 1975 and the Judiciary
-- By Rajinder Sachar
Governance by denial: Forced eviction and demolition of homes in Kernataka
-- Summary of a fact finding report by PUCL Karnataka, July 2013
Guilty Until Proven Innocent
PUCL investigation into police lawlessness in Chhittisgarh, 20 May 2013
The misuse of draconian laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005; and the detention of individuals in police remand for more than 24 hours, have become usual practice.
The physical terror combined with the threat of severe legal action has created a scenario where villagers are afraid to carry out their usual livelihood activities in the forests, fields, and marketplaces. In Edanar Panchayat, villagers live in constant fear of arrest, as many have been arrested for extended periods of time, and there are “standing warrants” for the arrest of hundreds more. Meanwhile, in Anjrel Village, over the course of a few years, 17 families out of 45 families total have left this village out of fear of the police.
Full report | Report summary in Hindi | Press Release
PUCL CONDEMNS ARREST OF JAYA VINDHYALA, PUCL - AP STATE PRESIDENT:
DEMANDS RELEASE AND DROPPING OF CHARGES, 12 May 2013
New Social Movements, New Perspectives
JP Memorial Lecture delivered by
Nivedita Menon, March 2013
"We stand at an electrifying and exciting moment of history, when new forces are coming into view through a range of movements, shaking the foundations of political power. They do not seek to ‘capture’ political power but rather, to make it accountable and answerable to ‘the people’."
PUCL statement on security for Mukesh Amban, 22 Apr., 2013. Click
PUCL condemns mistreatment of Santosh Shahani, 17 April 013. Click
April 12, 2013
PUCL statement on the conflict between TMC and CPI(M). Click pdf
PUCL strongly condemns the serial blasts in Hyderabad, 23 Feb., 2013
PUCL reiterates that the State and Central police and various intelligence agencies inquiring into the incidents should uphold the principles of fair, independent and unbiased investigation. This will strengthen rule of law and ensure investigations and interrogations in a civilized manner.
Only such conduct of investigating agencies will reinforce established and accepted norms
of fair and lawful investigation. We caution the police not to indulge in baselessly targeting of persons belonging to any particular community, especially those from the minority communities.
PUCL condemns surreptitious executions
-- -- By Dr. V. Suresh, National General Secretary, PUCL, Feb14, 2013, Chennai
The PUCL strongly condemns the rejection by the President of India of the commutation petitions of Simon, Meesakara Mathayan, Bilavendran and Gnanaprakasam. Equally condemnable is the action of the Prison Authorities of Belgaum Central Prison, Karnataka who in the morning of 13.2.2013 merely intimated orally to the convicts of the rejection of their mercy petitions without giving them the written orders of rejection. In sharp contrast, signed acknowledgements of receipt have been obtained from all 4 convicts!
PUCL condemns the hanging of Afzal Guru, 9 Feb., 2013
PUCL condemns the mutilation and placing IEDs inside the bodies of killed CRPF personnel
Under no circumstances can acts of brutality be justified, even if they be in response to equally heinous and brutal acts unleashed by the security forces, as we are seeing presently. We equally stress that whatever the circumstances, the security forces must act within the bounds of law.
'Operation Greenhunt' launched by the security forces and police of the Central and State governments in nine states across central and eastern India, purportedly to counter the Maoists has, apart from claiming hundreds of lives of both Maoists as also the police and Central Forces, killed thousands of ordinary tribals and others caught in the cross fire. Vast areas of mountainous regions in these states have become cordoned off by Central Forces and a virtual siege of terror launched by the CRPF, para military and police forces against local citizens. This has resulted in unending spirals of violence resulting in encounter deaths, disappearances, torture, killings, sexual assaults, mass burning and destruction of villages; many other acts of untold miseries has made life for adivasis in these areas one of a `living hell’.
--
Prof. Prabhakar Sinha, President, Dr. V. Suresh, General Secretary, 12 January 2013
PUCL Submission to the Verma Committee on sexual assault and rape
5th January, 2012,
-- By Prof. Prabhakar Sinha, President, Dr. V. Suresh, General Secretary, Kavita Srivastava, National Secretary
[ Read full submission | Download in pdf format]
Disturbing rise in male intolerance to empowerment of women
PUCL press statement on Delhi gang rape,
24th December, 2012.
" Rapes and sexual violence will have to be seen in the backdrop of rising male intolerance to assertion of independence, self reliance and empowerment of women, in the work arena, professional and social spheres. Questioning of patriarchal values of male superiority, domination and gender discriminative practices are amongst many other social and economic factors responsible for increasing sexual assaults.
PUCL firmly believes that apart from punishing perpetrators and providing support to the survivors there is a need for a national level debate on the issue of violence against women across a whole range of issues"
--
By Prof. Prabhakar Sinha, National President & Dr. V. Suresh National Gen. Secretary
A flawed judgement - The Seema Azad and the Vishwa Vijay case
This Judgement has once again exposed how the Indian Security Establishment, the Police and the Intelligence are working in tandem with a section of the Judiciary and that any arrest made in the name of Maoism and Terrorism can be justified by invoking the draconian laws like the UAPA and the colonial era security provisions of the Indian Penal Code. Through this judgement there is also an attempt to send a warning to all activists of their fate if they are going to be questioning Government policy or hold alternative views.
A critique of the Allahabad Court Judgement by PUCL & PUDR, October 2012
Site last updated 29 June, 2014