Counterview Desk A European Commission (EU)-funded report, “Campaign against Torture in India: Prevention, Accountability and Rehabilitation”, has regretted that, despite a sharp rise in deaths caused by torture, the Government of India has failed to frame a law on custodial torture and inhuman treatment, even though India is a signatory to the United Nations’ convention […]
Author: ACHR
Custodial violence: Culture of impunity must come to end
Available at The Tribune 03 June 2019 Despite signing the UNCAT in 1997, India has not ratified it, due to which getting fugitives extradited from foreign countries also becomes difficult The alleged custodial death of a 58-year-old man at the Bawana police station in Delhi has once again brought to the fore the inhuman face […]
Investigating Police Brutality: A Reading List
Available at Economic and Political Weekly 18 April 2019 Despite police reforms being formulated and implemented, India still has not managed to deal with police brutality adequately. Custodial deaths are a frequent enough occurrence in India to be a systemic problem, but its pervasiveness has not been recognised when formulating policies. Between 2010 and 2015, there […]
Focus: Linkage between corruption and torture
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture in a report in 2014 recognized that “corrupt and malfunctioning criminal justice systems are a root cause of torture and ill-treatment of detainees”[1]. In 2014, the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment highlighted the correlation between corruption and torture or […]
Prison authorities are expected to maintain discipline, not torture and kill
Available at The Telegraph Published 15.03.19 Our antiquated jail manuals need overhauling, and our police need to be able to work free of political pressure Indians are often unable to tell the difference between vengeance and the popular notion of justice. As a result of this, the use of violence and torture on undertrial prisoners and […]
NHRC: Cooked up post mortem reports in the custodial death of Saukhi Lal Kushwah raises questions about criminal justice system
That autopsies are critical for the administration of justice is undisputed. In cases warranting death sentence, autopsy reports determine the issue of death or life. Yet, autopsy reports in India are often doctored by the medical professionals, raising serious questions about administration of justice. On 2 August 2013, the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR)submitted […]
Three “Custodial Deaths” in Three Months, Is This the Best Law and Order of UP?
Available at News Click 23 January 2019 Abdul Raheem, 38, who was arrested in suspicion of theft charges, died in King George’s Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow on Monday, January 21, after allegedly suffering third-degree torture in jail. The family of the victim alleged that he was beaten black and blue by the police. There […]
Vijay Mallya’s Extradition Judgment Day: India’s Diplomatic Assurances Not Enough, 29% of India’s fugitives deported from the UAE only
New Delhi: Releasing its 360 page report, “Torture: India’s Self Made Hurdle to Extradition” (http://www.achrweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/IndiaRefoulement.pdf) analysing judgments of the foreign courts on India’s extradition requests, the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) stated that diplomatic assurances on improving prison conditions are not sufficient to extradite fugitives like Vijay Mallya.. During the hearing, Mallya, inter alia, […]
For Aasia Bibi, Pakistan turns into a prison
Pakistan has turned into a prison for Aasia Bibi. After acquittal by the Supreme Court from concocted blasphemy charges on 31 October 2018, the government of Pakistan entered into an agreement with the Tehreek-e-Labaik to place her name on the Exit Control List to prevent her from leaving the country which is indispensable to protect […]
Prison reform: Can Justice (retd) Amitava Roy Committee reform India’s shameful prisons?
Prisons in India are synonymous with deplorable conditions amounting to inhuman and degrading treatment and deaths of the prisoners from denial of basic medical facilities to torture. Prison reform is the least priority of the society and the State. Would Justice (retd) Amitava Roy Committee therefore be able to reform the shameful prisons of India? […]