Karnataka - Bangalore   

Many submit objections to police order

Bangalore: Several civil rights groups, non-governmental organisations and individuals on Saturday submitted their objections to the proposed Licensing and Controlling of Assemblies and Processions (Bangalore City) Order 2009, which is perceived as containing clauses that are against the spirit of the Constitution and infringe on the basic rights of citizens.

Those who submitted the objections included the Alternative Law Forum, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Vimochana, Blank Noise, Urban Resource Centre (URC), Maraa and South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring.

The objections filed have argued that the order, meant to ensure smooth flow of traffic, has clauses that take away features contained in Article 19 (1) of the Constitution. They add that the draft order “grants arbitrary discretionary powers to the police” as licensing authorities.

In their objections, the ALF and the PUCL have observed: “The right to exercise one’s fundamental rights cannot be made into a licensed activity subject to the whims and fancies of a licensing authority, as proposed by you. This amounts to an arbitrary and unreasonable restriction on the exercise of one’s rights as any expression.

“Such a Licensing Authority has no place in a democratic setup.”

It asks how assembly of people can be brought under the purview of this order if it was indeed meant to only ensure smooth flow of traffic.

“It is the duty of the police to facilitate smooth flow of traffic as well as unhindered exhibition of demonstrations,” they have said. The two organisations said: “If today India still remains a democracy in spite of its myriad problems of inequality, it is in no small measure due to the fact that disaffection can be spontaneously expressed in a peaceful manner.”

The organisations have demanded that a public consultation be held on the order so that members of the public can express their opinion.

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