Resolutions passed in the PUCL National Council Meeting held in Delhi 18-19 January 2025
By PUCL National
At the PUCL National Council Meeting held in Delhi 18-19 January 2025 it is hereby resolved to:
Subject Resolutions
1. The PUCL expresses our deepest condolences and paid respects to the many members who have passed away in the last two years:
a. Jharkhand
i. Dr. Ramesh Sharan, passes last year (2024). He was professor of economics and former V.C of Sidhu-kanhu University, Hazaribhag, Jharkhand.
ii. B. N Das – Jharkhand State Treasurer.
iii. Jairam Tiwari – founding member of Jharkhand PUCL, & was professor of Political science at Ranchi University.
b. Karnataka
i. Dr. Lakshminarayana, former President, PUCL Karnataka
ii. PB D’Sa, former President, PUCL Karnataka, former Vice-President, PUCL.
iii. Prof. Muzaffar Assadi, Mysore
c. Rajasthan
i. Radhakant Saxena
ii. P L Mimroth
iii. Dr. Pawan Surana
iv. Ms. Rajkumari Dogra
v. Dr. Anita Soni
vi. Virendra Vidrohi
vii. Ashok Mathur
Tamil Nadu
i. S. Natarajan, former President, Chennai district unit
ii. SM Backer
iii. Bastin Lincoln
iv. Dhyan Chand Carr
Uttar Pradesh
i. Adv. Ravi Kiran Jain, former National President, PUCL
ii. O.D. Singh
iii. Raj Narayan
iv. Prof. Vallabh Mishra
Bihar
i. Ram Chandra Laldas – Former President, PUCL Bihar
ii. Ramesh Pankaj – Former Vice President, PUCL Bihar
Maharashtra/ Delhi
i. Fali Nariman, Life member
2. Consider legal action regarding the ruling of the NIA court judgment on Kasganj for passing prejudiced, unsubstantiated and potentially damaging comments about the role of human rights organisations in general and PUCL in particular for pursuing vital Constitutional tools that independent organizations use to establish facts, fix accountability and ensure succor for victims of communal strife. It is also resolved to form a Committee consisting of Farman Naqvi, Mihir Desai, V. Suresh to examine the case papers and recommend appropriate action.
3. Condemn the prolonged and unconstitutional incarceration of BK-16 activists and anti CAA protesters in Delhi as well as political prisoners around the country under terror and Security laws, like UAPA, NSA and demand the false cases against them be withdrawn and the arrested are released.
4. Form a campaign to demand that the principle of bail being the rule and jail the exception, become the norm, particularly in cases related to the challenge of sovereignty of the Indian State . This is particularly important as there have been a series of cases which the state considers sensitive in which the constitution of benches have been delayed, hearing have not taken place and the right to speedy trial has unconstitutionally denied but the right to be granted bail continues to be stringently applied.
5. Condemn the over 250 extra-judicial killings in Bastar, since January, 2024 by state security forces, demand impartial investigation into the killings and compensation to the kin of the deceased also demand that all extra-judicial killings immediately cease and the release of the thousands of people arrested who are in jail, more than 800 arrested in 2024, without chargesheets and trials. The PUCL would also like to demand the immediate release of its young state executive member Sunita Pottam, who has been arrested on false charges against more than a dozen baseless cases since 2023 .
6. Condemn the killing of journalists who in the call of their duty have been killed for fulfilling their constitutional responsibility under Article 19(1) (a). The Indian state must bring in a special law related to the protection of media persons, like done by the state of Chhattisgarh.
7. Condemn the continuing intimidation and attacks on journalists, students, as well as individuals and communities who are fighting for their land and livelihood all of whom are entitled to protection as human rights defenders under the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
8. Condemn the ongoing campaign to convert Muslim places of worship into Hindu places of worship in violation of the Places of Worship Act and the constitutional principle of secularism.
9. Condemn the continued arbitrary demolitions of national heritage structures as well as shops and homes of members of the Muslim community.
10. Condemn the criminalisation of Muslim existence through a violent discourse of hate as well as the filing of false and vindictive cases filed against Muslims for protesting the violation of their rights or seeking to protect their constitutional rights.
11. Consider the death of Prof Saibaba in prison as a judicial murder, provide all legal succor to family member of Prof Saibaba, particularly the restoration of his Associate Professor’s in Delhi University, as the case had been dismissed by the Bombay High court, so that his wife and daughter can avail the benefits of his service and backed arrears and payments. We also demand that action be taken to prevent such further deaths.
12. Condemn the repression on farmers by state and central governments, assert the right to protest of farmers, and demand that the state take all necessary steps to fulfil the just demands of the farmers.
13. Urge the Government to urgently respond to the farmers protest by having a dialogue with the farmers to redress their demands and thereby redress the causes of the protest.
14. Put a check to the promotion of violence, hatred and discrimination against Muslims and minorities during the ongoing Kumbh Mela and demand hate speech monitoring and suo motu filing of FIR’s against offenders by the police as per Supreme Court order in Shaheen Abdullah v Union of India.
15. Continue to work on issues of environmental justice which is a matter of deep concern to those at the margins of society.
16. Urgently address the environmental impacts of mining and especially tungsten mining proposed by the Adani group in Aritapatti, which is bound to have drastic impact on livellhood concerns as well as the right to a clean environment.
17. Urgently address the deteriorating quality of the right to health of prisoners, many of whom have died in the custody of the state thereby violating the core constitutional protection of the right to life.
18. Condemn the introduction of the Maharashtra Special Security Bill in the legislature as the proposed bill is a anti rights repressive legislation which aims to turn Maharashtra into a police state.
19. Condemn the proposed one nation one election bill as the bill is antithetical to the tenets of a federal democracy.
Organizational resolutions
- Empower the Committee comprised of Mihir Desai, T.S. Ahuja, Bhanvar Megwanshi and Madhuri to deal with the ongoing crisis in the Chattisgarh unit.
- Set up a Committee to examine all possible solutions to resolve inter se disputes and violations of the PUCL Constitution.
- Accept the proposal to constitute five standing committees on the five thematic areas and resolve to frame guidelines for the mechanism of the Standing Committee.
- Resolve to draft guidelines on the opening and operation of bank accounts of national and state PUCL
- Resolved that the Annual Membership fee should be enhanced to Rs. 100 per annum, Rs. 200 for two years, and Rs. 20 per annum for workers and students.
25. Resolved to enhance the Bulletin Subscription fee from Rs. 200 to Rs. 300 for one year.