Centre, State govts failed to secure minorities: Delhi HC Women lawyers forum

The Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum has sent a letter petition to Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, highlighting the alleged failure of the Central and State Governments to secure the Minority communities in India, their Fundamental Right to life with dignity and safety guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

The Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum has sent a letter petition to Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, highlighting the alleged failure of the Central and State Governments to secure the Minority communities in India, their Fundamental Right to life with dignity and safety guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The letter petition further prayed for the issuance of appropriate directions to the Central and State Government to secure and ensure to members of the minority communities, an atmosphere within which they can enjoy their right to life with dignity and security.

The petition prayed for appropriate directions be issued to prevent the dehumanization of minorities by using pejoratives, likening them to animals and germs, spreading fake news by disseminating fearful stereotypes, inciting others to harass or boycott the targeted communities, and giving calls for genocide against minority communities and strictly prohibiting the auctions of human beings like animals. The petition undersigned by around 77 women lawyers, practising at the Delhi High Court and the Trial Courts, showed grave concern on growing threats of violence and humiliation targeted towards the minority community, especially because there appears to be a deafening silence from the Central and State Governments to unambiguously deprecate the same and/or tardy to little too late action by the law enforcement machinery, the petition stated.

The plea further stated that the "Bulli Deals" App happened because no one was punished for Sulli Deals. Although FIRs had been previously registered in the matter of Sulli Deals, no one was arrested and the investigation has been a non-starter, in the same. The lack of action on the Sulli Deals case emboldened the culprits to use pictures of free-thinking women who are considered independent with dissenting voices with impunity. It further states that the existence of the apps themselves is the sheer audacity of some cowardly minds to attempt something like this, twice, publicly, encouraged by bigotry openly being expressed among the common public and lack of action by the police and the judiciary. It is also reflective of the mental and emotional ill health of at least a section of the society, who obviously feel extreme insecurity, a crisis of masculinity. It also treats Muslim women as inanimate objects which can be bought and sold.

It also added that, as lawyers, we are not only officers of the Court, but also guardians of the Constitutional Rights of people. Even though the app has been taken down, it was a serious violation of the right to life and liberty of the women portrayed. Even more importantly, it continues to pose a grave danger to the personal safety of the women, as it has already been seen by an unknown number of people The forum through letter petition appealed to the CJI and other Judges to issue appropriate direction to the law enforcement agencies Central and State Governments to secure to the Minority Communities in India, their Fundamental Right to life with Dignity and Safety guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution of India and to put in place preventive guidelines to ensure accountability of law enforcement agencies and for preventive actions so that these incidents never occur again. (ANI)

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