There is no law to back the UP Govt’s action of putting up hoardings naming those accused of violence during protests against the citizenship law, the Apex Court told the State Govt. on Thursday.
The Supreme Court was hearing a plea by the Yogi Adityanath Govt, challenging an order earlier this week by the High Court of Allahabad asking the Govt for the immediate removal of the ‘name & shame’ posters & hoardings put up across Lucknow.
Sources said the hoardings – in which the persons named were asked to pay for damage to public property & warned that their property would be attached otherwise – were put up on instructions of CM Yogi Adityanath.
“The wrong-doer must be brought to book. But can the state go beyond that?” Justice UU Lalit observed, asking if the State Govt has the power to put up such hoardings.
On Monday, the High Court of Allahabad cited the Right to Privacy as a fundamental human right recognised by the United Nations as well as the Top Court, & said the Govt’s move to display photographs & personal details of the accused on roadside hoardings was “an unwarranted interference in privacy”.
The SC had also directed the Lucknow administration to give a compliance report on the removal of the hoardings to the registrar general by March 16.
The HC Judgement reads, “In the present case, the cause is not about personal injury caused to the persons whose personal details are given in the banner but the injury caused to the precious constitutional value & its shameless depiction by the administration. The cause as such is undemocratic functioning of government agencies which are supposed to treat all members of public with respect & courtesy & at all time should behave in manner that upholds constitutional & democratic values”.
