Citizens for Justice and Peace
Why has India still not ratified UN Convention against torture? India still does not have a law condemning torture
23-Jul-2021
What continues to remain amiss in the Indian legislations is the definition, and subsequent condemnation of torture by public officials. A right against torture is nothing but an affirmation of Right to Life under Article 21. However, enforcing fundamental rights is a much more tedious task than invoking the provisions of the specific law, which…
Ambiguous guidelines for ‘model’ detention camps raise questions MHA responses in Parliament divulge limited information
28-Nov-2019
The Modi government had released ‘model’ detention centre a manual in January 2019 containing provisions that would govern the functioning of such facilities across India. Though the manual has not been made public, some information has become available via answers to questions raised in the Parliament. With the death toll in Assam’s detention camps touching 28,…
New MHA order setback for citizens’ rights in Assam? Order grants multiple officials right to make FT reference, FTs get unspecified powers
08-Jun-2019
On May 30, 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an ‘Extraordinary Order’ via a Gazette which in effect appears not only grant powers to multiple authorities to make a reference to Foreigners’ Tribunals (FT), but also grants rather nebulous powers to FTs themselves. FTs are quasi-judicial authorities that decide upon the question of…