Good sense should prevail on the State and it must remove the hoardings before 3 pm and inform the court about this: Allahabad High Court
Lucknow| In a strong move, the Allahabad High Court said it would take up the issue of hoardings put up by the Uttar Pradesh government, naming those who were accused of violence during protests against the controversial citizenship law today – a court holiday. The initial hearing in the case — scheduled at 10 am — was put off till 3 pm on the request of the UP government.
The court of Chief Justice Govind Mathur has taken up the case on its own (suo motu). Asking if the government was not encroaching on personal space and liberty of citizens, the Chief Justice expressed hope that corrective action would be taken before the hearing begins.
The bench comprised by Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Ramesh Sinha said that the state action of putting up the posters of alleged CAA Protestors was “highly unjust” and that it was an absolute “encroachment” on personal liberty of the persons concerned.
The Lucknow administration had put up hoardings at major cross-sections in the city, with details of about 60 people who have been issued recovery notices for their alleged involvement in violence during CAA protests on December 19, 2019.
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A government spokesman said the posters have been up on the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s directive at important intersections, including the main crossing in the busy Hazratganj area and in front of the Assembly building.
Noted activist Sadaf Jafar, human rights lawyer Mohammad Shoaib, activist and former IPS officer S R Darapuri etc., also figure in one of the banners.
Taking suo moto cognizance of the matter, the division bench decided to hold a special sitting today (Sunday) at 10 AM.
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