Citizens for Justice and Peace
Creative understanding of UAPA grants freedom from jail for activists: Delhi HC Orders in Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita and Asif Iqbal Tanha’s case come as a whiff of fresh air
16-Jun-2021
Over the past few years, Indian civil society has been badly hit by use of laws such as Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), sedition, FCRA, NSA, AFSPA* and various other similar laws. UAPA is possibly the most extreme due to its stigmatising effect and the Himalayan problem of getting bail, used wantonly in a large…
Did we finally crack the UAPA code? In conversation with Prashant Bhushan
16-Jun-2021
Watch Teesta Setalvad in Conversation with senior lawyer, Supreme Court, Prashant Bhushan as they discuss why bail to three student activists, charged under the UAPA in Delhi violence conspiracy case, offers a ray of hope for other political prisoners. Related: Facing The Fanatics CJP moves Supreme Court in Hathras case
Guwahati HC grants bail to Assam woman declared foreigner CJP had provided her legal aid to challenge the FT Order in HC
13-Apr-2021
CJP has helped a hapless Assam woman declared foreigner secure bail from the Guwahati High Court. The woman named Chenbhanu Begum had been declared foreigner in an ex parte judgment by an Assam Foreigners’ Tribunal in 2019. Chenbhanu Begum, wife of Madan Ali, is a daily wage labourer and resident of Fuhuratali village that falls…
CJP helps Assam man secure bail from Guwahati HC The Bengali Hindu man had been dragged to the FT twice, despite being pronounced Indian the first time
10-Apr-2021
CJP has come to the aid of Uttam Chakraborty, a Bengali Hindu man who was forced to defend his citizenship before a Foreigners’ Tribunal twice! While he was declared Indian the first time, he was shockingly found to be a ‘foreigner’ a second time. But CJP provided him legal aid and helped him secure bail…
Indian courts and Medical Bail NIA court denied Father Stan medical bail on March 22
01-Apr-2021
The Special NIA court rejected Father Stan Swamy’s bail plea on grounds that “he was not only the member of banned organisation CPI (Maoist) but was also carrying out activities to further the objective of the organisation which is nothing but to overthrow the democracy of the nation.” The NIA had initially sought 20 days…
When rights weigh down laws and bail is granted When courts invoke discretionary jurisdiction to uphold right to liberty
02-Mar-2021
The grant of bail to 82-year-old Telugu Poet Varavara Rao on medical grounds has highlighted that a prisoner is not denuded of his fundamental rights, just because he has been remanded to custody through due procedure of law. It is relevant to examine how courts have upheld the rights of prisoners despite the crimes alleged…
Bail under UAPA: Does the new SC judgment offer a ray of hope? CJP compares two SC judgements on bail under UAPA: Watali, 2019, and Najeeb, 2021
19-Feb-2021
The Supreme Court recently passed a judgment upholding Kerala High Court’s order granting bail to an accused charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). This judgment has set a new precedent for consideration of bail of persons charged under UAPA, the number of which has been on the rise since the 2019 amendment…
Repeal UAPA: End targeting of minorities and dissenters Day one of a three-day consultation on inhuman provisions of anti-terror laws
28-Jan-2021
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) along with a hundred organisations including the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) organised a three-day consultation on the implementation of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The session began on January 20, 2021, and here’s what transpired on day one. Repeal of the UAPA and the National…
The worst from Indian courts in 2020 A month by month look at various court orders adversely shaping rights’ jurisprudence
29-Dec-2020
As 2020 draws to a close, here is an annual round up of orders and judgements from India’s constitutional courts — High Courts and the Supreme Court of India. In a month by month look, CJP brings you a calendar of the year gone by, an overview of verdicts that raised some eyebrows, resulting in…
Understanding the right to default bail It is an extension of Article 21: Right to Life and Personal Liberty
16-Oct-2020
The Supreme Court of India has held that there is a fundamental right granted to an accused person to be released on bail once the conditions of the first proviso to Section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure are fulfilled. Moreover, life and personal liberty of an individual must be paramount. The three-judge Bench…