UAPA

The UAPA Noose

It is now out in the open.There seems to be quite a lot of dissatisfaction in the higher judiciary about the burden placed on their shoulders by the rising number of UAPA cases.The phrasing of the act is so wide and sweeping that it gives a government powers to practically put under arrest and detain anyone it finds inconvenient or[Read More...]
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PUCL and 100 Organisations demand the repeal of the UAPA

Activists, Advocates and commoners came together virtually to discuss and demand the repeal of the UAPA and underlined the legal, socio-cultural issues around it in a consultation organised by the People’s Union of Civil Liberties.  ——– IN a session packed with human stories of abuse and misuse of law where activists and commoners were abused, the People’s Union for Civil[Read More...]

The cost of voicing dissent: UAPA against G.N. Saibaba, Gautam Navlakha, Father Stan Swamy and others

In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor G. N. Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”[Read More...]

Rights Organisations Demand Quashing of UAPA, Sedition Charges Against Activists

In November, 67 Adivasi, Dalit and human rights activists were booked by the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana police under UAPA and charged with sedition for alleged “maoist links”. In late-November, police officials in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana booked 67 Adivasi, Dalit and human rights activists under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and under sedition charges for alleged “maoist[Read More...]

Open letter of a political prisoner to Sitaram Yechury on UAPA

This letter was written from the prison at a time when the media predicted imminent arrest of Sitaram Yechuri,  which was later denied by the Delhi Police. But many other activists including student leader Umar Khalid were arrested and detained on the same charges. Police is witch hunting several eminent activists and democrats on foisted charges utilising the pandemic situation.[Read More...]

Has India become a Police State?

The authors, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Zibalatt, in their famous book titled “How Democracies Die: What History Reveals about Future” have said that “Democracies can die with a coup d’etat- or they can die slowly. This happens most deceptively in piecemeal fashion, with the election of an authoritarian leader, the abuse of governmental power and the complete repression of opposition.[Read More...]

Colours of Trolls and Harassment :Vatya Raina

Guest Post by Vatya Raina The fight for half the Earth and half the sky is never at rest around the globe. Women of the world are constantly fighting their oppressors in different colours. The debate around #BoisLockerRoom stories on Instagram and the trolls concerned about the marital status of a pregnant woman in jail, … Continue reading Colours of Trolls and Harassment :Vatya Raina →

UAPA and the Confusions of the Left in Kerala

The relationships between political parties and people are going through a turbulent transformation during this historical period in India. To what extend have the political parties strived to be the true representations of people of this country is a question which needs some clarification. We have elected members of parliament, but whether they are in a position to play the[Read More...]

Stop the witch-hunt of activists and journalists in Delhi and Kashmir and repeal the draconian UAPA!

Over the last two weeks, across New Delhi, numerous activists and students have been targeted and harassed by the Delhi Police. Operating under an open-ended FIR, the police are attempting to accuse these persons, many of whom are engaged in providing indispensable relief work to workers and people bereft of food and other supplies due to the ill-planned COVID-19 induced[Read More...]