Indian SC ruling must deter anti-Muslim hate campaign: Amnesty
London: Amnesty International while welcoming Indian Supreme Court’s verdict on bulldozer demolitions has said that the judgment must serve as a turning point in combating hate campaigns and discriminatory actions against minorities particularly Muslims in the country.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a statement posted on its official website, Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, emphasized the verdict should put an end to the climate of impunity around the cruel and inhuman practice of punishing people by unlawfully demolishing their homes and properties.
Callamard said the judgment reaffirms Amnesty’s previous findings that such demolitions, often instigated by high-ranking government officials against Muslims in particular, have repeatedly undermined the rule of law and due process. “Such lawlessness should never have been celebrated as ‘bulldozer justice’ in the first place”, she added. Amnesty, she said, hopes the judgment will mark a turning point to deter discriminatory campaigns of hate, harassment and violence against minorities in India. Never again should such deeply unjust and unlawful actions be repeated in the country, she said.
“Amnesty International calls on the chief ministers of states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, and Gujarat, who have participated in these unconstitutional demolitions, to fully adhere to the Supreme Court’s guidelines and implement them without delay,” Callamard said. “Individuals who have been subjected to forced evictions, collective and arbitrary punishment, in violation of both the Indian constitution and international human rights law, must be provided immediate compensation. Finally, the authorities who were part of the illegal demolition drives must be held accountable.
“We hope this judgment will mark a turning point to deter campaigns of hate, harassment and violence against minorities in India. Never again should such deeply unjust and unlawful actions be repeated in the country,” the statement concluded.
The Indian SC bench, led by Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan, delivered its judgment after hearing petitions challenging the arbitrary demolitions. The court declared such demolitions unconstitutional, calling them high-handed and a form of collective punishment. The ruling clarified that no executive authority has the right to act as a judge, declare an individual guilty, and punish them by demolishing their property.
In February 2024, Amnesty International published two reports documenting the widespread and unlawful demolitions in at least five Indian states, targeting Muslim communities in the wake of protests against discriminatory laws. The reports highlighted how these demolitions were part of a broader campaign of harassment, discrimination, and violence against the minority population.
