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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Rights groups seek justice

Rights groups seek justice

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published Published on Dec 26, 2010   modified Modified on Dec 26, 2010

A day after the Raipur Additional District and Sessions Court pronounced Dr. Binayak Sen guilty of sedition and conspiracy, human rights activists and his supporters staged a protest in the Capital.

A small but determined group of people gathered at the Jantar Mantar on Saturday to condemn the sentencing of Dr. Sen and the “threat” to activism in the country. Various human rights organisations, including the Human Rights Law Network, the People's Union for Civil Liberties, teachers from Jamia Millia Islamia and Delhi University pressed for justice for Dr. Sen.

“It is an atrocious judgement. It shows the State's role in how keen it is to victimise people who are critical of the way it operates. Chattisgarh is a State with the lowest social indicators but high in repression,” said Praful Bidwai, social science researcher and human rights activist. Critical of the Government's role, he said it seems the State is keen on abolishing all distinctions between Maoists, those sympathetic to them, those who are pro-Left, Gandhians, social workers and media: “In punishing Dr. Sen they were sending others a message.”

While Mr. Bidwai said there was little hope that the High Court judgment will be favourable, considering it took the Supreme Court's intervention to grant him bail when he was earlier in detention, former IPS official K.S. Subramanian was more hopeful.

“This is a lower judiciary decision and we still have the option of approaching the higher courts,” he said.

He was, however, critical of the both the police and the lower judiciary for their role in crushing human rights activism. “It is a shame that while scamsters go scot free, people like Dr. Sen, who are sympathetic to the tribal people, are being punished. The State's machinery is being misused and how did the judge come to the conclusions about Dr. Sen?” he questioned.

Manisha Sethi of the JMI Teachers' Association said: “This is a wake up call to the activists and citizens, but we must send a message to the political parties and the State that this is unacceptable.”

A number of medical practitioners have also sent a petition to President Pratibha Patil seeking justice for Dr. Sen.


The Hindu, 26 December, 2010, http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/26/stories/2010122657381100.htm


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