Our History

Human rights violations are not just stray or accidental incidents of police brutality or state excess; rather they have become widespread, systemic, and institutionalised. In such a climate, the need of the hour is for citizens to unite and reclaim their power to protest, to defend, and to oppose any actions that attack their fundamental human rights.

PUCL is the largest human rights organisation in the country, striving to defend civil liberties and human rights of all members of society.

1976
NATIONAL SEMINAR
A national seminar was held on October 17, 1976. It was inaugurated by Acharya JB Kripalani. The PUCLDR was a loosely organised group of people who were working with JP. V M Tarkunde was elected President and Krishna Kant General Secretary.
1977
EMERGENCY
The Emergency was lifted.
1977
JANATA PARTY WAS FOUNDED.
The Janata Party, formed with blessings of JP, came to power. A very large number of people who had worked with him assumed power at the centre and an impression started floating that now the liberties of the people were secure. The dynamic element in the PUCLDR subsided. Jaya Prakash Narayan died on October 8, 1979, after a prolonged kidney problem.
1980
ORGANISATION RECHRISTENED AS PUCL
The year 1980 saw the return of Indira Gandhi to power. A consensus emerged among civil liberties activists and various political parties that such an organisation should remain non-partisan. The organisation was re-christened as the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). The founding conference, held in November 1980, drafted and adopted the Constitution of the PUCL and made it a membership based organisation, aiming to have branches all over the country. The Constitution laid down that the members of a political party will not have the right to hold any office if they joined the organisation; the number of members, belonging to political parties, in the national or state executive committees shall not be more than 50% of the members of the National Council and the National Executive Committee respectively (and also the corresponding bodies at the state and local level). Not more than 10% shall be members of any single political party.
1980
MEMBERSHIP
In November 1980, a National Convention of civil rights workers converted the People’s Union for Civil Liberties into a membership organisation. The National Convention elected Mr. V.M. Tarkunde as President and Mr. Arun Shourie as the General Secretary of PUCL. Since then the PUCL has undertaken work on several fronts-from commencing work towards preparing a new Prisons Act and Jail Manual under the leadership of Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer to agitating on specific issues like the release of trade unionists arrested under the National Security Act in Madhya Pradesh. Most of the effort has been devoted to setting up State and Local Units which alone can effectively pursue specific issues.
Foundational Declaration of PUCL and a Message by Jayprakash Narayan

Ever since 1980, the organisation has been expanding its membership and has established branches in all most all the states of India. Some of them have been good at mobilising public opinion through public demonstrations, while others have more successfully pursued public interest litigation in the courts. Their area of interest varies according to the interests and capacities of the elected office bearers and active members.

The major areas of action have been:

  • Mobilising public opinion in favour of a better climate for protection of civil liberties in the country.
  • Conducting investigations into incidents of violations of human rights brought to notice by the
    victims, the press, a member, or any concerned individual.
  • Publishing the findings of these investigations in the PUCL Bulletin and releasing them to the press, or making them public by other means such as public meetings, etc.
  • Many reports are published as separate documents also.
  • Filing petitions, on the basis of these investigations, or even otherwise. These cases are prepared and argued by our lawyer members in the local courts, High Courts, or the Supreme Court. They meet all the expenses of fighting these cases, from their own pocket.
  • The PUCL does not simply react. It organises seminars, Lectures, etc., for focusing attention on the problems concerning its area of work. It has raised its voice against various oppression laws and retrograde amendments to the Constitution. It has tried to find the causes of communal riots and tried to create amity amongst various sections of society.
  • It also organises observer teams at the time of Elections from sensitive constituencies. It has been active on environmental issues, especially for the rights of those affected adversely by development projects. It has, from time to time, taken up issues to courts at various levels. The PUCL has, more than once, taken up the cause of pavement dwellers.