H.H.Swami Chidanand Saraswati has been conferred upon Global Ambassador for Peace Award 2017
Saturday, 16 December 2017 00:00

H.H.Swami Chidanand Saraswati has been conferred upon Global Ambassador for Peace Award 2017

The All India Council of Human Rights, Liberties and Social Justice has celebrated INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY ‘2017 and 7th INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS & “7TH BHARTIYA MANAVA ADHIKAR SAMMAN’2017" for Peace, Harmony, Protecting and Promoting Human Rights by All India council of human rights, liberties & social justice with “National Council Of News & Broadcasting (NCNB), Asian Human Rights Council (AHRC) , Amnesty Worldwide (AW) , Universal Mission For Peace And Harmony (UMPH) And International Institute Of Human Rights Studies (IIHRS)”.

The Awards was presented at a simple ceremony taken place in DELHI in the presence of distinguished guests from all the sectors i.e. Social Activists, Religious Leaders, Social NGO, Foreign Diplomat, United Nation, Ex Ministers , Ex MLA , IAS , IPS, Judiciary , Advocates ,Sports, Film Industry , RWA , Journalists , Bureaucrats , Doctors, Engineers, Chartered Accountants, and Law Colleges, Universities, School etc. from all over the India and Globally.

The India Islamic Centre Auditorium was Jam packed with the respected guests. The speech of H.H.Swami Chidanand Saraswati , Archbishop Dr. Felix Machado , Archbishop Theodore Mascarenhas, Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni , Dr. Mustafa Taherali Saasa , Chief Imam Dr. Umer Ahmed Ilyasi , Lt. General Zameer Uddin Shah ,Maj Gen. Satbir Singh ,Dr Sandeep Marwah and Dr. Mustafa Taherali Saasa (Dubai) , Archbishop Dr. Felix Machado - Mumbai , Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati Ji , Sir Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala - Mumbai, Dr. BK Binny Sareen , Prof. K K Aggarwal has touched the heart of the people.

The Various schools have participated and performed in the event as KR Mangalam World School , KIIT World School , Kuashlya World School and Ngo's.

High tea was served after the National Anthem.
The program has started well in time and well planned , guests have appreciated the time management and successful hosting the event.
Vote of thanks has been given by Dr. Anthony Raju , Global Chairman All India Council of Human Rights, Liberties and Social Justice.

We have reached to this pillar because of our "Media Personalities and Media Support"

The awards were conferred by

Lt. General Zameer Uddin Shah , Former Vice Chancellor , Aligarh Muslim University
Chief Imam Dr. Umer Ahmed Ilyasi , President - All India Imam Organisation , Respresentation of half of Million Imam of India.
Maj Gen. Satbir Singh , Chief Mentor and Convener for One Rank One Pension Movement in India.
Dr. Mrs. Balvinder Shukla , Vice Chancellor - Amity University - Noida
Acharya Dr Lokesh Muni Ji , International Peace Activist , Founder - Ahimsa Viswa Bharti
Dr. Sandeep Marwah , Chairman , Marwah Studio and Marwah Group
Mrs. Neera Shastri , Daughter in Law , Former Prime Minister Shri Lal Bhadur Shastri Ji and Dedicated Political leader for Women Rights
Venerable Bhikkhu Sanghasena , Founder Mahabodhi International Meditation Center . Laddakh
Ms. Sarah Suman Abraham , Leading Social Activist for Women and Child Rights.
Prof. K. K Aggarwal , Chancellor - K R Managalam University.
Brig Gurinder Singh , an enlightened dedicated Socail Worker & Vice Chairman ( Award Selection Committee - Armed Forces)
Dr. BK Binny Sareen , an enlightened dedicated spiritual trainer, author and relationship adviser. She is a well known expert for spiritual enhancement subjects and Rajyoga meditation

The Prominent Awards were conferred upon for 2017 :
His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias
Archbishop - Mumbai , “3rd DR. APJ ABDUL KALAM WORLD PEACE AWARD’2017”
H.H.Swami Chidanand Saraswati , Global Ambassador for Peace Award
Dr. Sanjana Jon “International Women Of Courage Award"
Dr. Mustafa Taherali Saasa (Dubai) , "Most Exceptional Entrepreneur Award"
Mrs. Chitra Roy ,“India's Most Eminent Cultural Ambassador Award"
Archbishop Dr. Felix Machado - Mumbai ,"Ambassador for Peace Award"
Mrs. Ekta Tarun Wasan - Mumbai ,“International Women Of Courage Award"
Yousif M. Buzaboon (Behrain) ,"International Human Rights Award"
Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati Ji, "Ambassador for Peace Award"
Jammu & Kashmir Police , "Pride Of Nation Award"
Prof. (Dr.) Talat Ahmad Vice Chancellor - Jamia Melia ,“Most Eminent Vice Chancellor Award"
Sir Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala - Mumbai , "Ambassador for Peace Award"
Brig. Rajiv Enoch Williams, YSM Vice President - CSR , Jindal Group
"Most Exceptional CSR Excellence Award"
T. Raja (Autowala) - Karnataka, “Real Life Hero For Humanity"
C. Sethupathi , "Most Exemplary Leadership & Social Justice Award"
Capt. Ashwani Kumar Reddy , Distinguish Services to Nation Award"
Satyanarayana Gottumukkala V , "Most Exceptional Corporate Leadership & Social Impact Award"
Lt. General Amit Sareen (Retd.), "International Human Rights Award"
Dr. Sanjay Deshmukh , Exceptional Performance Vice Chancellor Award"
Mrs. Swedsh Trikha , "International Human Rights Award"
Mr. B. L. Vohra IPS (Retd.), "Exemplary IPS Leadership Award"
Janab Sirajuddin Qureshi , "International Human Rights Award"
Mr. B.R. Kamrah , " International Human Rights Award"

THE AWARD IS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL’s (AICHLS) MOST PRESTIGIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD. IT IS GIVEN TO INDIVIDUALS/ WORLD PEACE LEADERS / BUSINESS LEADERS / INSTITUTIONS / ORGANISATIONS / CORPORATES, WHO SHOW EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN THE FIGHT TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS AND SERVICE TO HUMANITY. THE AWARD AIMS TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF AICHLS BY ASSOCIATION WITH THE LIFE, WORK AND EXAMPLE OF ITS ‘AMBASSADORS’.

The Awards will be presented at a simple ceremony taking place in DELHI. The presence of expected guests from all the sectors i.e. Governors , Human Rights Commission , Social Activists, Religious Leaders, Social NGO, Foreign Diplomat, United Nation, Member Of Parliament , IAS , IPS, Judiciary , Advocates ,Sports, Film Industry , RWA , Journalists , Bureaucrats , Doctors, Engineers, Chartered Accountants, and more than Law Colleges, Universities, School etc. from all over the India and Globally.

Feel free to contact for any clarification or help.
With warm regards,

Dr. Anthony Raju

Advocate , Supreme Court of India.
International President: World Inter-Faith Council for Peace & Human Rights
Chairman : International Institute for Human Rights Studies
International Convener, Universal mission for Peace and Human Rights.
Chairman, National Council of News and Broadcasting.
Secretary General : Asian Human Rights Council
Chairman : National Legal Council
International Convener: World Inter-Faith dialogue for Peace & Human Rights
Cell – 9873005424 /9873087903
www.humanrightscouncil.in
Email : humanrightscouncil.org@gmail.com

======================================
#dranthonyraju
#AdvocateSupremeCourtofIndia
#AllIndiaCouncilofHumanRightsLibertiesandSocialJustice
#InternationalPresidentWorldInterFaithCouncilforPeaceandHumanRights
#ChairmanInternationalInstituteforHumanRightsStudies
#InternationalConvenerUniversalmissionforPeaceandHumanRights.
#ChairmanNationalCouncilofNewsandBroadcasting.
#SecretaryGeneralAsianHumanRightsCouncil
#ChairmanAllIndiabarFederationandNationalLegalCouncil
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9873005424
9873087903
www.humanrightscouncil.in
Email : humanrightscouncil.org@gmail.com
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Stop Treating Critics As Criminals - HRW
Friday, 10 June 2016 00:00

(New Delhi) – The Indian authorities routinely use vaguely worded, overly broad laws as political tools to silence and harass critics, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. The government should repeal or amend laws that are used to criminalize peaceful expression.

A demonstrator waves the Indian national flag during a protest on February 18, 2016, in New Delhi, India, demanding the release of Kanhaiya Kumar, a student union leader accused of sedition. In 2016 there has been a spike in the number of sedition cases filed nationwide.

© 2016 Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters
India’s Constitution protects the right to freedom of speech and expression, but recent and colonial-era laws, such as sedition and criminal defamation, not only remain on the books but are frequently used in an attempt to clampdown on critics.

“India’s abusive laws are the hallmark of a repressive society, not a vibrant democracy,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Putting critics in prison or even forcing them to defend themselves in lengthy and expensive court proceedings undermines the government’s efforts to present India as a modern country in the Internet age committed to free speech and the rule of law.”

The Indian authorities routinely use vaguely worded, overly broad laws as political tools to silence and harass critics.

The 108-page report, “Stifling Dissent: The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in India,” details how criminal laws are used to limit and chill free speech in India. It documents ways overbroad or vague laws are used to stifle political dissent, harass journalists, restrict activities by nongovernmental organizations, arbitrarily block Internet sites or take down content, and target marginalized communities, particularly Dalits, and religious minorities.

Stifling Dissent
MAY 24, 2016 Report

The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in India

Download the full report in English

The report is based on an in-depth analysis of various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including laws on sedition, criminal defamation, hate speech, and hurting religious sentiment, as well as the Official Secrets Act, Information Technology Act, and Contempt of Courts Act. It is based on interviews with defendants and targets, civil society activists, journalists, and lawyers. It includes public statements by the government, court documents, and media accounts of criminal proceedings against those involved in peaceful speech activities or peaceful assembly.

One of the most abused laws is the sedition law, which has been used by successive governments to arrest and silence critics. Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code prohibits any words, spoken or written, or any signs or visible representation that can cause “hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection,” toward the government. While India’s Supreme Court has imposed limits on the use of the sedition law, making incitement to violence a necessary element, police continue to file sedition charges even in cases where this requirement is clearly not met.

Most recently, the abuse of the sedition law became subject of national debate after Kanhaiya Kumar, a student union leader at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, was arrested for sedition on February 12, 2016. The government acted on complaints by members of the student wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, who accused Kumar of making anti-national speeches during a meeting organized on campus. India’s minister for home affairs warned that those who shouted anti-India slogans and challenged India’s sovereignty and integrity during these meetings “will not be tolerated and spared.” Two more students were arrested for sedition in the same case, while three others were booked. The court granted a six-month interim bail after the police’s admission that they had no evidence of anti-national sloganeering by Kumar, and certainly no evidence of incitement to violence. The government, however, failed to admit that the arrests were wrong.

In October 2015, authorities in Tamil Nadu state arrested folk singer S. Kovan under the sedition law for two songs that criticized the state government for allegedly profiting from state-run liquor shops at the expense of the poor.

In a controversial and disappointing verdict, in May 2016, India’s Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of criminal defamation law saying, “A person’s right to freedom of speech has to be balanced with the other person’s right to reputation.” However, the court did not explain how it concluded that the law does not violate international human rights norms, which call for abolishment of criminal defamation, or offer a clear or compelling rationale as to why civil remedies are insufficient for defamation in a democracy with a functioning legal system.

The frequent use of criminal defamation charges by the Tamil Nadu state government, led by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, against journalists, media outlets, and rival politicians shows how laws can be used to silence critics of the government. The Tamil Nadu government reportedly filed nearly 200 cases of criminal defamation between 2011 and 2016. For instance, the Tamil-language magazines Ananda Vikatan and Junior Vikatan, both published by the Vikatan group, face charges in 34 criminal defamation cases, including for a series of articles assessing the performance of each cabinet minister.

Criminal defamation laws should be abolished because they can lead to very harsh consequences, including imprisonment, Human Rights Watch said, a view endorsed by the United Nations Human Rights Committee and various special rapporteurs on human rights.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has frequently said he and his government are committed to upholding the right to freedom of speech. “Our democracy will not sustain if we can’t guarantee freedom of speech and expression,” he said in June 2014. Yet the Modi government has not only failed to address laws which are frequently used to crush these rights, but has used them, as did previous governments, to treat criticism as a crime. His government argued in the Supreme Court for retention of criminal defamation law, saying without offering a compelling explanation that monetary compensation through civil lawsuits is not a sufficient remedy for damage to a person’s reputation.

Successive Indian governments have failed to protect freedom of expression despite repeated reminders by the courts that it is the state’s responsibility to maintain law and order and that threats to public order cannot be grounds to curtail speech.

While some prosecutions involving sedition, criminal defamation, and other laws documented in the report were dismissed or abandoned in the end, many people who have engaged in nothing more than peaceful speech have been arrested, held in pretrial detention, and subjected to expensive criminal trials. Fear of such actions, combined with uncertainty as to how the statutes will be applied, leads to a chilling environment and self-censorship.

The Indian government should review all these laws, and repeal or amend them to bring them into line with international law and India’s treaty commitments, Human Rights Watch said. Many countries in the region also have anachronistic British colonial laws on the books, and India should lead reform efforts.

“India’s courts have largely been protective of freedom of expression but as long as you have bad laws on the books, free speech will remain under threat,” said Ganguly. “It is an enormous irony that India projects itself worldwide as a government embracing technology and innovation, yet is relying on century-old laws to clamp down on critics. India has an opportunity and the responsibility to launch reforms immediately, which could set a positive example to other countries in the region similarly bogged down by antiquated laws.”

Recommendations for India:

• Develop a clear plan and timetable for the repeal or amendment of laws that criminalize peaceful expression;
• Drop all pending charges and investigations against those who are facing prosecution for the exercise of their right to freedom of expression and assembly; and
• Train the police to ensure inappropriate cases are not filed with courts. Train judges on peaceful expression standards so that they dismiss cases that infringe on protected speech.

Region / Country Asia | India