Press Statements
PUCL Condemns the Arrest of Garga Chatterjee: Criminalising Political Speech Threatens Constitutional Democracy
14 May, 2026The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) strongly condemns the arrest of activist and public intellectual Garga Chatterjee by the Cyber Crime Cell of the Kolkata Police on 12 May 2026 on the basis of allegations relating to social media posts concerning EVM functioning during the recent Assembly election period. On 13 May 2...
PUCL condemns the UP Police’s invocation of National Security Act against the arrestees of the NOIDA wage hike struggle as illegal and unconstitutional
15 May, 2026Background of the workers struggle in NCR Delhi region in April, 2026 It is important to understand that the protest of the workers in NOIDA for a hike in wages was not in isolation. The workers strikes in the Delhi NCR region precipitated with a phenomenal increase in food and fuel inflation, with cooking gas prices skyrocketing,...
PUCL condemns the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code
05 Apr, 2026The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Gujarat, condemns the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code Bill which was passed by the Gujarat Legislative Assembly. Presented in the name of “uniformity,” this initiative raises serious constitutional concerns and risks functioning as a targeted civil code which is an affront to the...
PUCL-Tamil Nadu welcomes the verdict holding police officials accountable for custodial torture leading to death of Jayaraj and Benniks
16 Apr, 2026The Tamil Nadu & Puducherry PUCL welcomes the Madurai Additional District & Sessions Court verdict in the father and son duo custodial death case. The Verdict has delivered a great blow to the sense of impunity – being gleefully cherished by the so-called custodians of the law. Besides the verdict has contributed immense...
Joint Press Statement on the implementation of Forest Rights Act in the Konkan Division
24 Feb, 2026Joint Statement by Shoshit Jan Andolan, Yashwantrao Chavan Centre and PUCL Maharashtra A Public Hearing to audit two decades of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) implementation in the Konkan Division* was held at the Y.B. Chavan Centre on 24th February 2026 by Shoshit Jan Andolan (a grassroot level federation of mass organisations worki...
PUCL Rajasthan: The Disturbed Area Law will fracture Rajasthani society, cause ghettoisation of Minorities in urban areas!
05 Mar, 2026The PUCL demands the Immediate Withdrawal of this Anti-Constitutional Bill! Critique of the Rajasthan Prohibition of Transfer of Immovable Property and Provision for Protection of Tenants from Eviction from Premises in Disturbed Areas Bill, 2026 The PUCL demands the withdrawal by the Government of Rajasthan of the draft bill popul...
PUCL condemns the attack by ABVP on students of Azim Premji University
27 Feb, 2026Universities must protect the spirit of critical inquiry, not surrender to the blackmail of mob violence! Government of Karnataka must unilaterally withdraw the prosecution which targets the students! PUCL Karnataka strongly condemns the attack on students of Azim Premji University and the members of Spark Reading Circle by member...
Civil society groups raise alarm over Maharashtra’s proposed “Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 2026”
11 Mar, 2026A coalition of close to 30 civil society organisations, women’s rights groups and constitutional rights advocates will hold a joint press conference on March 11, 2026 in Mumbai to express deep concern over the Maharashtra Cabinet’s decision to approve the draft “Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 2026”, a proposed anti-conversio...
PUCL statement condemning the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 as unconstitutional and demanding its immediate withdrawal
19 Mar, 2026The amendments proposed in the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 constitute a gross dilution of valuable rights provided under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and shall result in exclusion of a large number of Transgender Persons from its ambit, denial of their constitutional...
Himanta Biswa Sarma must resign as Chief Minister of Assam for serial violations of his oath of office to govern without ‘fear or favour, affection or ill-will’
11 Feb, 2026PUCL strongly condemns the recent statements made by the Chief Minister of Assam promoting divisive rhetoric against minorities which brazenly undermines the rule of law and violates his constitutional oath of office to protect all citizens without fear or favour. It is deeply alarming that a constitutionally elected Chief Ministe...