Karnataka - Bangalore   

Criminals too have human rights: Governor

Governor H.R. Bhardwaj (right) with S. Krishnamurthy, vice-president of the Indian Red Cross Society (Karnataka State branch), at the World Red Cross Day celebrations in Bangalore on Saturday.

Bangalore: The recent Supreme Court verdict banning narco-analysis, brain-mapping and polygraph tests is a “dynamic interpretation” of constitutional provisions as “criminals too have rights,” Governor H.R. Bhardwaj has said.

No democratic society can permit violent methods while dealing with crime, the Governor said after his address at an event organised by the Indian Red Cross Society (Karnataka State Branch) to mark World Red Cross Day on Saturday.

Addressing presspersons later, Mr. Bhardwaj said: “Any method that inflicts bodily pain to extract information violates the constitutional provision that says no person can be forced to be a witness against himself. The Constitution has elaborated the right to silence.”

The Governor presented awards to individuals, branches and organisations in the State for their humanitarian services. These were the Red Cross branches in Udupi, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Tumkur, Mandya, Gadag and Chitradurga. The individual awardees were S. Rajarao, Venkatesh, S. Tapadar, V.P. Somashekar and H.S. Sundarraj. The district disabled rehabilitation centres in Tumkur and Mandya were honoured.

World Red Cross Day is observed on May 8 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Jean Henry Dunant, founder of the Red Cross Movement. This year, Red Cross has as its theme, “Urbanisation”. N.G. Narayana, General Secretary of the Indian Red Cross Society (Karnataka State Branch), said that six out of every 10 people would be city dwellers by 2030. “Water, shelter, disease and violence will be the major issues to deal with. Communities most exposed to hazards of pollution and lack of infrastructure will be those in the slums,” he said.

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