The civil rights movement in India has emerged as an autonomous voice in defense of civil liberties and democratic rights of our people. The Peoples Union for Democratic Rights, Delhi, is one such organisation. It came into existence in 1977 as the Delhi unit of a larger national forum, PUCLDR, and became PUDR on 1 February, 1981.
Latest Publications
Why recent judgments in UAPA cases represent limited victory
THEY COULD STRENGTHEN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE DRACONIAN LAW, BUT ACCESS TO JUDICIARY REMAINS RESTRICTED FOR THOUSANDS INCARCERATED UNDER IT. In the past week, three seminal judgments involving the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) have been delivered....
Clause By Clause, Taking Liberties With Human Liberty
AMONG ALL OUR LAWS, SECTION 43D(2) OF UAPA IS ARGUABLY THE MOST VIOLATIVE OF PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE-IT TOTALLY ECLIPSES PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS, AND PERMITS PRE-TRIAL INCARCERATION UP TO 180 DAYS Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and...
Why even CCTV cameras in police stations won’t guarantee justice for victims of custodial violence
IN THE ABSENCE OF CLEAR LEGAL MECHANISMS ENSURING ACCESS AND TRANSPARENCY, IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO HOLD THE POLICE ACCOUNTABLE. On January 27, the Supreme Court has called for responses from all states and Union Territories on its judgement ordering that CCTV cameras...
THIRD WAVE OF COVID OUTBREAK IN DELHI NECESSITATES CONTINUED DECONGESTION OF PRISONS
DELHI PRISONS MUST BE DECONGESTED AMID COVID, AS A REMINDER THAT PRISONERS TOO HAVE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE. We are presently in the midst of the third wave of COVID outbreak, which, by all accounts, is worse than before. The WHO has reported the highest daily...
जाँच से समझौता: समझौता एक्सप्रेस धमाके (2007) और राष्ट्रीय जाँच एजेंसी (एनआईए) की भूमिका
मार्च 2019 में, एनआईए स्पेशल कोर्ट, पंचकुला ने 2007 के समझौता ब्लास्ट केस में फैसला सुनाया, जिसमें 67 मारे गए और 13 यात्री घायल हुए, जिनमें ज्यादातर पाकिस्तानी नागरिक थे, जो पानीपत के पास अटारी एक्सप्रेस में सवार थे। समझौता धमाकों को अजमेर और मक्का मस्जिद विस्फोट...
Latest Press Statements
Launch of PUDR report “In the wake of Nuh: A report on state repression
On July 22, 2024, the fourth annual Brajmandal Abhishek Yatra passed peacefully through the Nuh district in Haryana. Last year, the same yatra was characterised by violence, followed by state repression that casts a shadow till today. In a press conference on July 29,...
पीयूडीआर की रिपोर्ट “नूह में संप्रदायिक हिंसा और पुलिस दमन: एक जाँच रिपोर्ट” का विमोचन
22 जुलाई, 2024 को, हरियाणा के नूह जिले से चौथी वार्षिक ब्रजमंडल अभिषेक यात्रा शांतिपूर्ण तरीके से गुजरी। पिछले साल, इसी यात्रा में हिंसा हुई थी, जिसके बाद राज्य दमन हुआ था, जिसकी छाया आज भी बनी हुई है। 29 जुलाई, 2024 एक प्रेस कॉन्फ्रेंस में, पीपुल्स यूनियन फॉर...
Mere words cannot be criminalized in a democracy
On June 14, 2024 Delhi’s Lieutenant-Governor (LG) sanctioned prosecution against Arundhati Roy and Sheikh Showkat Hussain under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) for their speeches at an event titled ‘Azadi - The Only Way’ organised...
Gautam Navlakha’s letter on release from custody
I wish to thank the Supreme Court for upholding the bail granted to me by the Bombay High Court. It proved to be a long wait but well worth it. Although happy for myself, I am saddened that the fate of scores of fellow dissidents implicated in a variety of cases,...
हिरासत से रिहा होने पर गौतम नवलखा का पत्र
विचाराधीन कैदियों के परिवार संभवतः अधिक कष्ट में रहते हैं क्योंकि उनके प्रिय जेल में हैं और इससे उनकी ज़िन्दगी बहुत गहरा प्रभाव पड़ता है. यह एक ऐसा यथार्थ है जिसे शायद ही रेखांकित किया जाता है और इसका समाधान तो दुर्लभ ही होता है. एक 'जनतांत्रिक अधिकार कार्यकर्ता' होने...
Latest updates
Sujato Bhadra, Vice President,CRPP, Ramanadham memorial Meeting, PUDR, 13 September 2015.
Five years behind bars for five activists
