-India.Mongabay.com * Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of India ordered the demolition of a hotel structure built in 2006 under the garb of a bus stand and parking lot in Dharamshala. The High Court of Shimla has, more than once, asked the state to act against violations. * Dharamshala has witnessed rapid growth which has often spread into the forests. The state action, however, has been targeted towards small encroachments. The...
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Individual liberty cannot be taken away without proper application of mind, says Allahabad HC -Kaunain Sheriff M
-The Indian Express The Indian Express tracks how the National Security Act (NSA) is being abused in Uttar Pradesh over the last two years. * District Magistrate passed orders in a mechanical manner, in some cases merely on the basis of police reports. * The procedural safeguard of effective representation for those detained was seriously infringed. * Individual liberty guaranteed by the Constitution cannot be taken away without proper application of mind. THESE ARE some...
More »A law alone will not serve as a panacea against torture by police in India -Yashovardhan Azad
-The Indian Express What is needed is ‘ease of policing’, better training and infrastructure Common Cause’s recent survey on the Status of Policing in India is said to have affirmed that the black sheep in the police force find nothing wrong with beating up criminals to extract a confession. It is still, however, too judgemental to suggest that torture is endemic to Indian policing, as Maja Daruwala does (‘Exorcising third-degree’, IE,...
More »SC/ST Act being used for blackmail, says Supreme Court -Krishnadas Rajagopal
-The Hindu The Supreme Court directs that public servants can only be arrested with the written permission of their appointing authority. The anti-atrocities law, which protects Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from casteist slurs and discrimination, has become an instrument to “blackmail” innocent citizens and public servants, the Supreme Court observed in a judgment on Tuesday. Issuing a slew of guidelines to protect public servants and private employees from arbitrary arrests under the...
More »Soon, body to look into complaints against police -Mallica Joshi
-The Indian Express The Supreme Court had, in 2006, ordered that a Police Complaints Authority be set up in each state to look into complaints against officers of the rank of Superintendent of Police and above New Delhi: A Police Complaints Authority, which will look into grievances against police personnel, will be formed in Delhi soon. The Supreme Court had, in 2006, ordered that a Police Complaints Authority be set up...
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