Skip to main content

'This has to stop': Gujarat HC slams police over public parading

By A Representative 
The Gujarat High Court has issued a strong rebuke to the Vadodara City Police over the alleged custodial torture and public parading of five individuals, including young adolescents and their mother, in connection with a minor offence of hurling eggs at a Ganesh idol.
Hearing a contempt petition on May 7, 2026, a Division Bench comprising Justice B D Karia and Justice L K Pirzada observed that such acts of public humiliation amount to “State terrorism” and a “fragrant violation” of the Supreme Court’s landmark guidelines in DK Basu vs. State of West Bengal.
The petitioners — residents of the communally sensitive Pani Gate area in Vadodara — were allegedly paraded with their hands tied, forced to apologize publicly, and their videos circulated on official police social media handles. Their counsel, Advocate Anand Yagnik, described the conduct as extra-judicial punishment aimed at asserting police supremacy.
“Every now and then, we come across instances of public parading in newspapers. We really want to know what is the basis of this, and why is the law of the Supreme Court being violated so flagrantly?” the Bench remarked sternly. “This is a very serious issue, and it has to stop. Tomorrow, it can happen with anyone.”
The court issued notices to the accused police officers, including ranks of Police Inspector and Deputy Commissioner of Police. Without further hearing, the Bench signaled its intent to club multiple similar petitions alleging illegal parading and hear them together on June 18, 2026.
In a swift administrative response, Gujarat’s Director General of Police, Dr. K.L.N. Rao, issued a standing order on May 12 — less than a week after the court’s intervention — directing all senior officers to sensitize personnel against human rights violations, citing past judicial censure on handcuffing, tying with ropes, and public parading.
The next hearing is scheduled for June 18, where multiple cases on the issue will be taken up together.

Comments

Post a Comment

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

TRENDING

Ahmedabad world’s least climate resilient major city: AlphaGeo study

By Rajiv Shah  A new study has ranked Ahmedabad as the least climate-resilient major city in the world , highlighting a dangerous gap between the city’s extreme physical vulnerability to climate hazards and its capacity to adapt. Cited by The New York Times , the analysis, conducted by geospatial artificial intelligence firm AlphaGeo , places the Indian city at the top of a list of global urban centres most exposed to climate risk.
Post a Comment
»

The making of a self-made woman: How eighty sheep changed everything for Kalawati Ninama

By Vikas Meshram*  About forty-two kilometres from Rajasthan's Banswara district, in the tribal heartland of Ghatol block, lies the small village of Ubapana. This is where Kalawati Ninama, her husband Dhulji, and their four children make their home. Their days unfold much like those of their neighbours—bustling mornings, long hours of farm labour through the afternoon, and evenings spent tending livestock. For this family, farming and livestock were once simply a means of putting food on the table. Today, they have become the sturdy foundation of something far greater: genuine self-sufficiency.
Post a Comment
»

India has spent billions on skilling. Where are the jobs?

By Vikas Gupta   India loves the photograph of a certificate ceremony. A minister on a stage. A banner bearing the word “skill.” Young people holding folders that promise a future. It is a reassuring image because it tells us the problem has a manageable answer: train the young, make them job-ready, and work will follow.
Post a Comment
»