A number of top Supreme Court (SC) lawyers voiced their serious concern over the “repeated instances of hate speech and violence in the state in recent weeks” in an open letter to the Uttarakhand governor. The lawyers on Wednesday provided the media with a copy of the letter, which is dated May 30.
SC lawyers write to guv over rising ‘hate speech cases, violence’
Senior lawyers, including advocate Prashant Bhushan, former Patna High Court judge Anjana Prakash, former Additional Solicitor General Raju Ramachandran, and senior solicitor Meenakshi Arora, among others, stated in the letter that they are “worried about the escalating acts of violence taking place in Uttarakhand, a state known for its long history of peace and social harmony”.
“The increasing frequency of such events suggests a deliberate campaign to spread fear and hatred,” reads the letter.
The lawyers emphasised their concerns by citing media reports, including those that appeared in TOI, and said that “from public information, it appears that the administration, by failing to take decisive action, is seemingly violating the orders of the SC”.
“On April 20, speeches were made by Rakesh Tomar Uttarakhandi, leader of the Rudra Sena against the predominantly Muslim Van Gujjar community, in which they were asked to vacate areas they had been residing in. A ‘dharm sabha’ was held by the same organisation, Rudra Sena, in Chakrata on April 20. During the event, speeches were made advocating for the economic boycott of minorities, calling for a ban on the settlement of ‘non-sanatanis’ in the state, and proclaiming that global peace could only be achieved by eliminating every ‘jihadi’. Despite the police claiming to have videographed the event, no complaints, cases, or arrests were reported,” said the lawyers in letter.
“The consistent pattern of events appears to indicate that, through inaction, the police are allowing criminal incitement and violent actions to take place and hence are in contempt of court. We request your immediate intervention to ensure that the Constitution, the rule of law and the orders of the hon’ble Supreme Court are upheld,” the letter summarized.
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