SC To Hear UP Govt Plea Against HC Order On 'Name And Shame' Hoardings

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Thursday, take up a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the Yogi Adityanath government in UP against the Allahabad High Court order directing the Lucknow administration to take down hoardings of 57 allegedly accused in anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) violence. The UP government's appeal is scheduled to be heard by a vacation bench consisting of Justice UU Lalit and Justice Aniruddha Bose.

The hoardings, displayed prominently in public places in Lucknow, featured the photos, names and addresses of 57 individuals accused to have been involved in violent protests against CAA in Lucknow in December 2019. The UP government has sought compensation said to be Rs. 1 crore 57 lakhs, for damage caused to public and private property by the accused.

Taking suo moto cognizance of the matter, the Allahabad High Court on Monday, directed the District Magistrate and Divisional Commissioner of Lucknow to take down the hoardings. The two judge bench headed by chief Justice Govind Mathur of the High Court sought a compliance report to be filed in the matter by March 16.

The Allahabad High Court observed that the hoardings put up at prominent places with photos names and addresses of the individuals in question, amounted to a breach of their privacy. It held that there was no provision of law under which such posters could be put up.

Among those whose names figure in the hoardings are social activist Sadaf Jahan and retired IPS officer SR Darapuri, who are reported to have filed a caveat in the Supreme Court stating that their version should also be heard before any final verdict is pronounced in the matter.