NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear a petition filed by Uttar Pradesh government against the Allahabad high court decision ordering removal of hoardings containing photos and other personal details of anti-CAA protesters.
A vacation bench of Justices UU Lalit and Aniruddha Bose will hear the petition. On Monday, the high court had directed Lucknow’s district magistrate and police commissioner to remove the hoardings.
The court said the state’s action violates Article 21 of Constitution and is an infringement of privacy.
“Privacy is an intrinsic part of the right to life and liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, and the actions of the state government amount to an unwarranted interference into it,” a bench of chief justice Govind Mathur and Justice Ramesh Sinha had observed.
The DM was directed to submit a compliance report in the court on or before March 16. The court also took a strong view of the state government’s argument that the matter should not have been taken up suo motu by way of public interest litigation, saying, “Courts are meant to impart justice and no court can shut its eyes if a public unjust is happening just before it.”
The bench went on to cite Supreme Court rulings wherein it was held that even for history sheeters, the information about the history sheet and the surveillance has to be kept discreet and confidential.