Justice Markandey Katju, the chairperson of the Press Council of India has raised strong objections to the arrest of two girls by Mumbai police on Thursday over their Facebook comments questioning the near shutdown in Mumbai after Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray’s death.
In another letter written to the chief minister of Maharashtra, Justice Katju has sought action against the delinquent policemen for arresting a woman “just for putting up an apparently innocuous material on Facebook.”
“Are we living in a democracy or not? How can a person be arrested for objecting to the shutdown in Mumbai on Thackeray's death? Article 21 of the Constitution, to uphold which you have taken an oath, states that no one can be deprived of his life or liberty except in accordance with law. Does Article 21 not exist in Maharashtra? Does freedom of speech guaranteed by Article 19(1) (a) also not exist in your state?,” the latter addressed to the chief minister of Maharashtra reads.
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In the letter which is available in his blogspot, Justice Katju has stated that the matter is much too serious to be taken in this cavalier manner because the principle of liberty is at stake.
“The entire nation wants to know what action you have taken. I would therefore request you to immediately let me know what you are doing in this matter,” he has stated.
Justice Katju said he wrote this mail after failing to get replies to his earlier mail written to the chief minister of Maharashtra on the same matter.
The Mumbai police on Monday arrested Saheen Dhada who posted acomment on her Facebook status message protesting the shutdown of Mumbai after Bal Thackeray’s death, and her friend Rini Srinivasan for sharing the comments. Both of them were arrested for allegedly “hurting religious sentiments”.