PUCL files complaint with SC against Gujarat police, municipal authorities for 'unlawful' demolitions, custodial 'violence'

By A Representative
The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has lodged a formal complaint with the Chief Justice of India, urging the Supreme Court to initiate suo-moto contempt proceedings against the police and municipal authorities in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The complaint alleges that these officials have engaged in unlawful demolitions and custodial violence, in direct violation of a Supreme Court order issued in November 2024.
The incident in question occurred on March 14, 2025, in the Vastral area of Ahmedabad, where a group of alleged anti-social elements armed with swords, iron pipes, and lathis terrorized locals and commuters. The violence resulted in several injuries and widespread property damage. Videos of the incident quickly went viral on social media, sparking public outrage.
In response, the police apprehended several suspects and, in a highly controversial move, publicly beat them and demolished their homes, allegedly in coordination with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. The police also arrested family members of the accused, who were not involved in the crime, and severed utility connections to their homes. These actions were reportedly carried out under the guise of targeting "illegal constructions."
The PUCL has condemned these actions as a blatant violation of the Supreme Court's guidelines laid down in the D.K. Basu vs. State of West Bengal case (1997), which safeguards against custodial violence, and the Court's November 2024 order, which declared demolitions based solely on criminal charges without due process as unconstitutional.
In their letter to the Chief Justice, PUCL representatives Anand Yagnik and Mujahid Nafees emphasized the importance of upholding the rule of law and due process, warning that such transgressions could lead to a breakdown of the justice delivery system. They have called for urgent action to hold the erring officers accountable for their actions.
The PUCL has also provided video links (see this and this) and newspaper clippings ( click here and here) as evidence of the incidents, including footage of the police beating suspects and demolishing homes. The organization hopes that the Supreme Court will take cognizance of the matter and ensure that such violations of constitutional rights are not repeated.
The PUCL's complaint underscores the ongoing tension between law enforcement and civil liberties in India, raising critical questions about the balance between swift justice and the protection of constitutional rights.

The “Dr” debate masks a larger crisis in allied-health education

By Dr P K Gupta* India’s allied-health professions have long operated in a fragmented landscape of universities, hospitals, State authorities and private institutions, each with its own nomenclature, curriculum and standards. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021 was meant to correct this by creating a unified national framework for education, professional regulation and institutional recognition. Few dispute the need for such oversight. The real question is whether standardisation is quietly becoming synonymous with longer courses, additional internships and new professional titles—changes that risk masking deeper gaps in clinical training, institutional capacity and affordability.

Pilgrimage or pollution? The waste crisis of Indian faith

By Raj Kumar Sinha* In today's times, there are certain issues that are constantly talked about and discussed, yet no visible impact seems to be made. Beyond water, soil, and pollution, one crisis that continues to be overlooked is waste. Like other life-threatening problems, waste too is gradually moving toward burying and obliterating us. After the Kanwar Yatra in Haridwar, approximately 8,000 tonnes of waste were left behind on the riverbanks, including bottles filled with urine.

Arrival of USS Lincoln: A ‘leisure trip’ to Thailand or a neo-colonial move to commodify women?

By Benyasiri Eimviriyapong The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) for a ‘leisure trip’ in Thailand before returning to its campaign of destruction against the people of West Asia demands immediate interrogation and opposition. For us Thai people, and those in sites of American plunder across the globe, this a rattling of the US’ cold war colonial chains on its most loyal lap dog, while conducting a war of aggression in Iran and the ongoing genocide in Palestine. In allowing the USS Lincoln to dock, the Thai ruling elites are once again facilitating a system of imperial violence that extends far beyond Southeast Asian borders, a system which in our case, is predicated on sexual violence and femicide.

Counterview

Search This Blog