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.
Remembering Stan Swamy (26 April 1937 – 5 July 2021)
The state penalized Stan Swamy under the UAPA, a punishment that precipitated his death in judicial custody. Stan Swamy was framed, fettered, and finally forced towards a fatal illness under due process of law called the UAPA. The charges levelled reveal the state’s deep prejudice against an upright activist who spent decades in building and empowering Adivasi rights against historic neglect and exploitation.
Prior to his incarceration, his failing health was well known, but he was not granted even medical bail let alone regular bail. The NIA and the prison authorities refused to acknowledge the deterioration that he suffered in prison, and they failed to uphold his rights as a prisoner, a right to decent health care and facilities.
Stan’s persecution under the law offers an understanding of how many others have been similarly punished by the state for their dissenting politics.
Read: Framed to Die: The Case of Stan Swamy at Framed_to_
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लद्दाख में जनवादी आंदोलनों पर पुलिस दमन के ख़िलाफ़ न्याय की अपील
पीपुल्स यूनियन फॉर डेमोक्रेटिक राइट्स (पीयूडीआर) लद्दाख की जनता के न्यायोचित आंदोलनों पर हुई पुलिस बर्बरता की घोर निंदा करता है। दिनांक 24 सितम्बर 2025 को लद्दाख में पुलिस कारवाई में चार प्रदर्शनकारियों की मृत्यु और 50 से अधिक लोग घायल हुए। इसके अलावा, 70 से अधिक...
Delhi High Court dismissal of bail of activists protects the State from scrutiny of arbitrary and punitive action
On 2 September 2025, the High Court of Delhi in two separate orders dismissed pleas for bail on behalf of ten persons who stand accused by the Delhi Police of commission of terrorist acts, terror funding and conspiracy to commit terrorist acts in relation to the...
Press Release: PUDR Investigates the issue of the use of Panchayati Land by Dalits in Punjab
A five-member team from the People’s Union for Democratic Rights, Delhi visited five villages in four districts of Punjab to investigate the issue of the use of Panchayati land by landless dalit households and the associated instances of violence and arrests....
Book Ban: State silences Jammu and Kashmir
On 05 August 2025, by order of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, 25 books were declared to be “forfeited” in terms of Section 98 BNSS, the new criminal procedure code. 5 August marks the 6th anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution...
Stop Harassment of Kashmiri Students
April 29, 2025 PUDR expresses deep concern over the unchecked Islamophobia, the violation of rights during the ongoing crackdown in the region, and the harassment of Kashmiri students across the country following the cold-blooded killings of 26 civilians, primarily...
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The Anti – Labour Codes
The 75th Independence Day of India is practically the first for workers in the country without the official protection of crucial labour laws, like the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the Factories Act, 1948 among others. Some of these laws are as old as the country’s...
Framed to Die: The Case of Stan Swamy
Marking a month since Stan Swamy passed away in judicial custody in a private hospital, a month in which no official inquiry, even the mandated magisterial inquest, has not been initiated, Framed to die: The case of Stan Swamy documents the manner in which Stan Swamy...
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...
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