The Lucknow administration has started putting up hoardings with photographs and addresses of those booked in cases of alleged vandalism. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
Calling it an “absolute encroachment on personal liberty”, the Allahabad High Court on Sunday reserved its order on a matter regarding the state government’s move to put up hoardings with photographs and addresses of those booked in cases of alleged vandalism linked to protests against the Citizenship Act in the city on December 19, PTI reported.
A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Ramesh Sinha, which took up the matter suo moto, said the order would be delivered at 2 pm on Monday.
Among those shown in the posters, which was put up by the Lucknow administration, are leading activists, including Congress leader Sadaf Jafar, Rihai Manch founder Mohammad Shoaib, and Deepak Kabir, prominent Shia cleric Kalbe Sadiq’s son Kalbe Sibtain Noori, and retired IPS officer and activist SR Darapuri.
After the matter came to light, all of them told the Indian Express they would approach the courts against the UP government’s move because it posed a “serious threat” to their lives, amounted to gross “violation of privacy” and violated the “fundamental right to life and liberty”.
City Magistrate Sushil Pratap Singh told The Indian Express that the administration is planning to put up 125 such hoardings across Lucknow. Singh also said that a total of Rs 1.55 crore will be recovered from 57 people named in these cases.
Jafar, Shoaib, and Darapuri face charges of rioting, attempt to murder and arson at the Hazratganj police station. Police have not yet filed the chargesheet in the case. Darapuri was arrested on December 20 and released on bail on January 7.
The protests on December 19 had turned violent in the Hazratganj, Hasanganj, Kaiserbagh and Thakurganj areas, leading to one death due to gunshot injuries. Police have denied charges that they fired at the protesters.
(With PTI inputs)