A group of retired judges and lawyers have urged the Supreme Court to protect the fundamental rights of citizens in Uttar Pradesh.
The group has written to chief justice NV Ramanna urging the Supreme Court “to take suo motu cognisance of recent incidents of violence and repression by state authorities on citizens in Uttar Pradesh” following protests over remarks on Prophet Mohammad by susped BJP leaders.
The letter has been signed by retired SC judges Justice B Sudarshan Reddy, V Gopala Gowda and A K Ganguly, former High Court judges Justices AP Shah, K Chandru and Mohammed Anwar, and senior advocates Shanti Bhushan, Indira Jaisingh, Chander Uday Singh, Sriram Panchu and Anand Grover and advocate Prashant Bhushan.
“Instead of giving protesters an opportunity of being heard and engaging in peaceful protests, the UP state administration appears to have sanctioned taking violent action against such individuals,” the letter read.
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It added that the chief minister has exhorted 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”.
“The coordinated manner in which the police and development authorities have acted leads to the clear conclusion that demolitions are a form of collective extra judicial punishment, attributable to a state policy which is illegal,” the letter stated.