FORUM for Justice and Human Rights (FJHR) staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on January 17 to protest against the blatant misuse of investigation agencies by the Central Government for political ends. A large number of intelligentsia, educationists, journalists and retired bureaucrats participated in the protest. The Forum demanded that action should be taken against all those persons who are responsible for the selective leakage of alleged confessional statements to media.
Convenor of the Forum Prof. Rakesh Sinha alleged that the Central government was using investigative agencies viz. National Investigation Agency (NIA), CBI and ATS, as political tools of the ruling party. “Whatever investigations are being carried out by these agencies about terrorism, are being leaked selectively to the media for media trial. Even the alleged confessional statements of the accused under Section 164 which are legally the property of the courts, are being leaked to media. This clearly shows that the intention of the government is not to abide by the legal norms but to discredit the innocent individuals and nationalist organisations for their political ends,” said Prof. Sinha.
“The Forum is of the opinion that the law should be allowed to take its own course under the directions of the courts of law. But by not doing so the government is creating an Emergency like situation violating the human rights through use of committed bureaucracy and committed investigation agencies. When the investigative agencies start working at the behest of the ruling party, they not only lose their credibility but also face the ire of the democratic society. It is most unfortunate that on the one hand the interference in the functioning of the investigative agencies is adversely affecting their morale on the other hand it strengthens the Pakistani and foreign terrorists. The Forum demands that interference and political pressure in the functioning of the investigation agencies be stopped forthwith,” said a statement issued by the Forum after the demonstration.
Air Marshal RC Vajpayi, noted economist Dr Ashwani Mahajan, former president of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India Shri Chandra Vachak, Council Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India Shri Rajesh Sharma, secretary of New Delhi Bar Association Shri Neeraj, former president of Tax Bar Association of Delhi Shri CC Arora, president of Tax Bar Association of Delhi Shri Sudhir Sandla, Chartered Accountant Shri Gopal Aggarwal , Md. Kasmi, Mufti Abdul Sami, Advocate Jyotika Kalra, Sant Hardayal Singh and others joined the protest. (FOC)
