SM Fasiullah for BeyondHeadlines
Indians suffered a lot due to draconian laws that must be repealed at the earliest, urged a group of concerned citizens in a national workshop in Delhi.
Various aspects of black laws such as UAPA, MCOCA and AFSPA were explored in the seminar, which was jointly organized by Welfare Party of India (WPI) and Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) at Indian Law Institute on April 14.
Advocate Ashok Agrwaal highlighted that Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, is against right to association and freedom of speech.
While stating that no organization can be banned for more than two years as per the laws, Mr Agrawaal noted that the reinstating of ban on SIMI for the second time was a clear political move.
Speaking about the workshop, WPI General Secretary Dr. Qasim Rasool Ilyas told BeyondHeadlines that the party intends to launch a campaign to press the government to repeal these draconian laws.
The latest workshop has brought into discussion different aspects of these laws for the benefit of participants, who are expected to play a crucial role in the planned campaign, he said.
“Atrocities of police and administration, and delays in courts are challenges in the way to ensure Constitutional safeguards guaranteed to citizens,” Dr. Ilyas stated.
“Bureaucracy is more responsible than the political class for exercising these draconian laws in the country – as of now there’s no remedy to bring a positive change in the bureaucratic mindset.”
In a panel discussion, Adv. N.D. Pancholi, Ravi Nayak, Adv. Sartaj Geelani, Adv. Mohd Shoeb and Adv. Satinder Singh explored the strategies that need to be adopted to safeguard constitutional rights guaranteed to Indians. The discussion was led by Adv. Salar M. Khan.
Former Chief Justice AM Ahmadi, who presided over the seminar, said the economic policies being adopted by Congress and BJP are benefiting a smaller section – it’s a form of “terrorism” as it’s impairing the majority of the population.
WPI National President Mujtaba Farooq and Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan presided over two different sessions and shared their views, in addition to motivating participants to lawfully fight until the draconian laws are revoked.
