Skip to main content

The Delhi chief minister must withdraw circular allowing criminal defamation

ND Pancholi, President, People Union for Civil Liberties (Delhi) has stongly condemned the Delhi Government's recent order to sue its citizens for defamation. Following is the text of the statement: PUCL (Delhi) is shocked to learn that Govt. of Delhi has approved a policy to initiate prosecution of the citizens under section 499/500 of the Indian Penal Code for making defamatory imputations against the Chief Minister, Ministers and various government officials. The Delhi government has issued a circular dated May 6, 2015 in this connection.
It is a very reprehensible step by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has been voted to power with an overwhelming majority by the citizens of Delhi as it had claimed and promised that it would be accountable to the people and its functioning would be transparent.
Such an order can be passed only in an authoritarian or a fascist state. Purpose of such an order seems to be to threaten and deter citizens from expressing any dissent or criticism of the functioning of the Chief Minister, Minister and other officials.
Delhi citizens are not going to tolerate such an order which is a flagrant attack on their fundamental right I.e. ‘freedom of expression’. As far back as in 1956 the Supreme Court in this connection had said,
“Those who fill a public position must not be too thin skinned in reference to comments made upon them. Whoever fills a public position renders himself open to attack. He must accept an attack as a necessary, though unpleasant, appendage to his office.” (1956 SCR 476, Kartar Singh)We therefore call upon the Chief Minister of the Delhi government to respect the democratic spirit of the Indian Constitution and immediately withdraw such derogatory order.

Comments

Post a Comment

NOTE: Hateful, abusive comments won't be published. -- Editor

TRENDING

Planning failures? Mysuru’s traditional water networks decline as city expands

By Prajna Kumaraswamy, Mansee Bal Bhargava   The tropical land–water-scape of India shapes every settlement through lakes, ponds, wetlands, and rivers. Mysuru (Mysore) is a city profoundly shaped by both natural and humanly constructed water systems. For generations, it has carried a collective identity tied to the seasonal rhythms of the monsoon, the life-giving presence of the Cauvery and Kabini rivers , and the intricate network of lakes and ponds that dot the cityscape. Water transcends being merely a resource; it is part of collective memory, embedded in place names, agricultural heritage, and the very land beneath our feet. In an era of rapid urbanization and climate-induced land–water transformations, understanding this profound relationship with the land–water-scape is strategic for sustainability, resilience, and even survival.
1 comment
»

Activists Akriti, Satyam Verma face NSA in Noida protest case: PUCL

By A Representative   Human rights activist Kavita Shrivastava has alleged that the Uttar Pradesh Police is invoking the National Security Act (NSA) against two activists associated with Mazdoor Bigul in connection with the Noida workers’ protest case, even as labour unrest continues to spread across industrial belts in several northern states.
Post a Comment
»

Why was this BJP leader forced to call off marriage of his daughter with Muslim boy?

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  A marriage of two individuals belonging to different faiths was ultimately postponed as the 'champions' of the social morality dominated the discourse and threatened the father of the girl who happened to be the chairman of Pauri city municipality. Yashpal Benam, a BJP leader, posted the invitation of his daughter's wedding with a Muslim boy from Uttar Pradesh. Both the boy and the girl became friend during their B Tech course and were in relationship. There were reports that they already got married in the court but we don't know the reality. Perhaps the family of the girl wanted to send a message of 'acceptability' and 'appreciation' of such a marriage by the society. Invitations were sent to all but soon after it went wide spread on the social media, the champion of Hindu dharma jumped into the fray and started threatening the father. There were hundreds of calls asking the father hundreds of questions about the marriage. What...
Post a Comment
»