Need for introspection

Arrests of civil rights activists have dented the State's credibility

It took the Supreme Court’s intervention on Wednesday to finally bring some semblance of order after the surprise arrests of five well-known civil rights activists under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the Pune police. In its interim ruling, the court directed the Maharashtra government to file a response by September 5. Till that time, the court allowed only house arrests of the activists. In a stinging criticism of the manner in which the raids were conducted and arrests made, Justice D Y Chandrachud, part of Chief Justice Dipak Mishra-led Bench, told the Centre’s counsel that “dissent is