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Pleas Against UAPA Amendments
Why in news?
- The SC asked the Union Govt to respond to a petitions challengingamends to theUnlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
- A Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi issued notice to the Centre on the issue.
More in news
- Petitioners contention about the Amendments
(1) It allowed the Govt to freely encroach upon the fundamental rights of dignity, free speech, dissent and reputation.
(2) It gave the Center discretionary, unfettered and unbound powers to categorise a person as a terrorist.
(3) Law could now be used to bring a person into disrepute, and even worse, rob him or her liberty.
(4) The burden to prove the entire government machinery wrong would lie on the person.
(5) The Govt under the garb of curbing terrorism can impose restriction on the right to dissent.
- Right to Reputation, the petitioners said was fundamental right to life with dignity under Article 21.
- Tagging an individual asterrorist before commencement of trial or any application of judicial mind over it, did not amount to following the procedure established by law.
- The right to dissent is a part fundamental right to free speech and expression and therefore, cannot be abridged in any circumstances except for mentioned in Article 19 (2).
Source
The Hindu