‘Bulldozer Justice’
By Insaf
The hammer has come down on ‘bulldozer justice’! Demolishing the house of a person accused or convicted of a criminal activity as famously flogged in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan is a no-go with Supreme Court, as it views this as ‘a lawless state of affairs, where ‘might was right’. Not just a warning, but it laid down pan-India guidelines on demolition of properties, as sought by petitioners and directed authorities to strictly comply with these for ‘any violation would lead to initiation of contempt proceedings in addition to prosecution.’ The 95-page judgement states ‘no property should be demolished without a prior show cause notice and the affected must be given 15 days to respond.’ It’s justification: The executive can’t assume judicial powers to punish citizens by demolishing their properties as ‘such excesses are high-handed and arbitrary’, ‘unconstitutional’, an abuse of power and such misadventures can’t be tolerated by the court of law! The guidelines, however, won’t be applicable in case of unauthorised structure in a public place and where there’s an order for demolition by a court of law. For the other cases the court has spelt out the procedure including that notices of the demolition must outline the alleged violations and provide an opportunity for a personal hearing. In fact, even after demolition orders are passed, the bench said, the affected party must be given some time to challenge the order before an appropriate forum. State governments must adhere to the rule of law and cannot indulge in blatant ‘abuse of power.’ Enough is enough.
Manipur ‘Volatile’
Tall claims of normalcy returning to Manipur stand exposed. None other than Union Home Ministry has reimposed Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in six more police station areas citing ‘continuous volatile situation’ due to ongoing ethnic violence! This after 11 ‘suspected militants’ were killed in a gunfight with security forces on Monday last after armed insurgents fired indiscriminately at a police station and adjacent CRPF camp in Jiribam district. Worse, 24 hours later six civilians were abducted by militants from there. The two warring groups, Meiteis and Kuki-Zo are staging protests in their respective areas. While former demands release of the civilians, the latter groups allege ‘11 youth of the community’ were ‘treacherously murdered in a fake encounter’ and there be a CBI or an impartial court-monitored investigation. Predictably, the conflict is far from over, but the government must at least ensure no misuse of AFSPA, which gives the armed forces sweeping powers to search, arrest and open fire if deemed necessary for ‘maintenance of public order.’ Would it be a move of out of the frying pan into the fire?
Poll ‘Peaceful’ In Jharkhand
Polling in first phase of elections in Maoist-infested Jharkhand brought cheer to both security and election commission authorities. Not only was there a record 66.18% voter turnout (as against 63.9% in 2019) on Wednesday last, but the exercise was ‘peaceful’ with no Maoist attack in all the challenging 15 districts. Maoists were unsuccessful in preventing voters from reaching booths in West Singhbhum district. Interestingly, rural areas saw an increase, but voting in urban areas was low. Given the ‘sensitivity and Naxal menace’, heavy security arrangements were made: 600 companies of central armed forces, 60 companies of Jharkhand Armed Police, 15,291 personnel of state armed forces and 14,000 home guards. Expectedly, campaigning was a tu-tu-mein-mein: Prime Minister Modi attacking JMM-led ruling alliance of conspiring to scrap reservations for SC, ST and OBC communities and ‘helping infiltrators become permanent citizens’, whereas Chief Minister Hemant Soren, accusing BJP of maligning his and state’s image through ‘shadow campaigns’—‘spending crores of money on various social media platforms’ and ‘creating 95,000 WhatsApp groups.’ The voter must make an informed decision.
AP Social Media War
A ‘dirty social media war’ has broken out in Andhra Pradesh. The Chandrababu Naidu-led government police has come down heavily on activists/sympathisers of YSR Congress Party- issued 680 notices, registered 147 cases and arrested 49 persons in the past week. Under sections ‘promoting enmity between different groups, public mischief, defamation and IT Act sections viz morphing images and posting derogatory content.’ Apparently, posts ‘targeting’ Home Minister Anitha, Naidu’s wife, MLA Balakrishna’s wife, Dy CM Pawan Kalyan’s daughters, APCC chief Sharmila and her mother Vijayamma were scrutinised. Says TDP: ‘Posting jokes/caricatures of opposition leaders is fine but targeting women of their families and posting vulgar/sexually explicit content is crossing the line. Their social media posts have degenerated into sexually vulgar comments. It’s below the belt, and the crackdown is their own doing…’ YSR chief Jagan Mohan Reddy charges Naidu of ‘vendetta politics’, ‘targeting social media activists with harassment, illegal detentions and threats’ and ‘attacking right to freedom of speech…’ Be that as it may, there must be a laxman rekha in politics, which sadly is being increasingly crossed, without any qualms. The big question is how should TDP crackdown be viewed —for good or worse?
Delhi Chokes
The nation’s capital, Delhi, is choking! It recorded the worst air quality in the country, with a thick smog engulfing the city. The Central Pollution Control Board recorded the Air Quality Index (AQI) worsening from 429 on Wednesday morning to 432 on Thursday morning and worse several areas recording an index as high as over 450. Citizens are experiencing burning eyes, a feeling of suffocation, reduced visibility on the roads, and airlines issuing advisories to passengers to monitor flight status, which could be either delayed or have change in schedule. Though the “severe” category recorded is said to be due to an “unprecedentedly dense” fog and described as an ‘episodic event’, the AAP government has finally announced ‘third stage of graded response action plan to mitigate hazardous conditions.’ This as long-term exposure to severe AQI levels ‘can affect even healthy individuals and pose serious risks for those with existing health conditions.’ Chief Minister Atishi announced decision to close all schools and classes up to Grade 5 and shift classes to online mode, until further directions; all construction and demolition activities to be banned until further guidelines. But forgets a stitch in time saves nine.
Divisive Maha Campaign
Campaigning in Maharashtra is turning out far too divisive. Indeed, while the stakes are high, eyebrows are being raised or rather there are major frowns. One slogan ‘batenge toh katenge’ (if divided we perish) is being flogged by the ruling Mahayuti alliance, with opposition Maha Vikas Agadi saying it a language used by ‘terrorists’. The slogan, obviously a creation of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has additions of MVA having turned Maharashtra into a hub of ‘love jihad’ and ‘land jihad’! Sadly, instead of development and the slogan has become the pivot and a rallying point for BJP to consolidate the Hindu vote and to discourage caste-based voting. However, partner Dy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is upset as he feels the slogan ‘may work in UP, not in Maharashtra.’ He insists the political landscape of the state differs from others and there is need for communal harmony. Will he be proved right? Time will tell. — INFA