“Recover Lost Democratic Deficit”: Citizens Human Rights Manifesto 2024 Calls For Free Press, Repeal Of “Draconian Laws” And More (image/ cjp.org.in)Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Citizens Human Rights Manifesto (CHRM) for India 2024 has been released by human rights organisations including Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Maharashtra. Developed over eight months, the manifesto includes 14 ‘asks’ and one demand from all political parties for the preservation of human rights and upholding the constitutional freedom guaranteed for each citizen for India to become an “evolved democracy befitting the 21st century.”
The CHRM includes 14 key human rights ‘asks’ addressed to all political parties and their representatives contesting the Lok Sabha elections to preserve and uphold the rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. The manifesto includes one demand: immediate repeal of three newly introduced criminal laws – Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Citizenship Amendment Act (2019), and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) – as they contradict the “democratic structure of India” and endanger the rights of citizens guaranteed by the Constitution.
One of the major ‘asks’ is “complete respect for the right of all citizens to peacefully assemble and protest and their right to freedom of expression and speech, as enshrined in the Constitution of India. Observing the “ongoing crackdown” on journalists, student leaders, RTI activists, Dalits, and other minority groups, the manifesto asks for all the individuals falsely charged through the three criminal laws to be released. It also asked to stop the use of tear gas through drones and surveillance-driven face recognition technologies.
Notably, one of the ‘asks’ is to increase the ambit of the RTI to include private corporations and funds, including electoral bonds and the PM Care Fund, for transparency. A law to protect and preserve freedom of the internet has also been proposed to prevent internet shutdowns and censorship of media.
Other laws that were listed to be repealed include the Telecommunications Act, 2023; the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service, and Term of Office) Act, 2023, Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; and the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023. The recently enacted legislations are deemed contradictory to India’s democratic framework, said the manifesto.
The CHRM also highlights key ‘asks’ regarding human rights such as the right to privacy, a clean environment, a free and fair election, and the protection of life and liberty for all citizens. Additionally, it also addresses the rights of gender, linguistic, ethnic, and religious minorities, as well as the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, and indigenous communities. The manifesto asked for the Dalit community to be recognised as a ‘vulnerable group.’
Asking for the abolishment of the death penalty, other criminal justice reforms stated in the CHRM include the rule of bail, not jail, to be implemented across all criminal laws. Time-bound trials in fast-track courts have also been asked for cases involving cow vigilantism, mob lynching, whistleblowers, and RTI activists.
A minimum wage of Rs 15,000 per month, equal pay, equal work, maternity benefits, protection of rights of fisherfolk, guaranteed Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for farmers, among others, have been asked in the CHRM for protecting the right to work.
The manifesto launch event, led by Justice D. Haripanthaman, former Judge of Madras High Court, featured a panel discussion with prominent figures like Henri Tiphagne, advocate and national secretary of Human Rights Defenders Alert-India; Anjali Bharadwaj, transparency activist and co-convenor of the National Campaign for the People’s Right to Information (NCPRI); Dr. V. Suresh, general secretary of PUCL; and Teesta Setalvad, secretary of CJP.
The release of this manifesto follows extensive efforts to garner nationwide support, with 61 organisations and 39 individuals endorsing the document. Notable endorsers include People’s Watch, Tamil Nadu, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, and Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghatan, among others.