Allahabad HC ruling on removal of anti-CAA protestors' hoardings is in accordance with Constitution: Ashwani Kumar

Former law minister and veteran Congress leader Ashwani Kumar on Monday welcomed the Allahabad High Court's order of removing the hoardings revealing the identities of those who were accused of violence during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying it is in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution.

"A man is presumed to be innocent until proved to be guilty. There is no justification in placing the names of the people accused of crimes. The judgment of Allahabad High Court is absolutely correct and it is in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution," Kumar told ANI.

"This is an absolutely correct judgment by the Constitution. It is unfortunate that without the crime being proved, people's names were being put on notice boards publicly," he said.

While taking suo moto cognisance of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the issue, the Allahabad High Court in an unprecedented sitting on Sunday termed the act of putting up photographs and addresses of protestors as "unjust".

On Thursday, the Lucknow district administration installed hoardings with photographs and addresses of 53 anti-CAA protestors at prominent crossings across the city.

The hoardings included pictures of Shia cleric Maulana Saif Abbas, former IPS officer SR Darapuri and Congress leader Sadaf Jafar, all of whom were named as accused in the violence that swept Lucknow on December 19 last year.