Executive held for Noida protest ‘treated like terrorist’: Plea in SC

Noida: Supreme Court on Friday asked UP Police to produce two men arrested in connection with the April 13 labour unrest before it on May 18 after a petition alleged they were tortured in custody and denied basic legal safeguards.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan was hearing the petition filed by Keshaw Anand, brother of accused Aditya Anand, who works with an MNC in Gurgaon. The plea alleged that Aditya and co-accused Rupesh Roy were subjected to custodial torture by police. It also claimed their lawyers were heckled and physically obstructed when they tried to represent them in court.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior lawyer Colin Gonsalves told the court that Anand, an engineer, had addressed workers on April 13 only to explain their rights and urge restraint. He sought an independent inquiry into the allegations.

“There are three videos of Aditya’s speech where he is appealing to workers to keep the protest peaceful,” he said, adding that the agitation was centred on the demand for minimum wages.

The bench observed that demanding minimum wages was “a fundamental right” of the labourers.

The govt counsel, however, argued that the protest turned violent after some activists incited the crowd, leading to arson and damage to public property. He also argued that the accused were influenced by “Leftist ideology”.

The judges then made it clear that holding or following “Leftist ideology” was not a crime in India.

The govt further rejected the allegation that arrest procedures had been flouted. Its counsel told the court that the grounds of arrest had been supplied, intimation of arrest had been given and transit remand obtained. He also denied the torture charge, saying the medico-legal certificates recorded no visible injuries.

Gonsalves, however, said Anand was being “treated like a terrorist” despite supporting “the lawful demands of workers”. He told the court that Anand also runs a library for underprivileged children in Greater Noida.

In a statement issued after the hearing, the Campaign for Release of Workers and Activists of Noida (CaRWAN) said it hoped the apex court’s intervention would ensure justice for those arrested by UP Police.