Public meeting on Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 judgment
Date : 27th November 2013
at Manipur Press Club, Imphal

Invitation for the observation of the 16th anniversary of the Supreme Court of India upholding the constitutionality of Armed Forces Special Powers Act

Dear Sir/ Madam,

The Supreme Court of India upheld the constitutionality of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 on 27 November 1997. But the judgment has been drawing flakes from various quarters. The Jeevan Reddy Committee, which submitted its report to the Government of India in June 2005 observed that:
It is true that the Hon’ble Supreme Court has upheld its constitutional validity but that circumstance is not an endorsement of the desirability or advisability of the Act. … the Act, for whatever reason, has become a symbol of oppression, an object of hate and an instrument of discrimination and high-handedness. It is highly desirable and advisable to repeal this Act, altogether...

Professor Christof Heyns, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions in his report on the mission to India in 2012 submitted to the UN Human Rights Council and General Assembly (A/HRC/23/47/Add.1) stated as follows:
… the NHRC shared with the Special Rapporteur its views in support of AFSPA’s repeal during a meeting in Delhi … The Supreme Court of India ruled, however, in 1997 that AFSPA did not violate the Constitution. The Special Rapporteur is unclear about how the Supreme Court reached such a conclusion.

Chief Justice (late) J.S. Verma, the main architect of the 1997 Judgment, seem to sang a very different tune as the Chairperson of the Committee on Amendments to Criminal Law in connection to sexual assault, 2013, where he seems to be eventually empathizing with the plight of the women living in the “disturbed area”.

In order to mark the 16th anniversary of this controversial judgment Just Peace Foundation is organising a public meeting at the following coordinates.

Date: 27 November 2013 (Wednesday)
Time: 1.00 P.M.
Venue: Conference Hall, Manipur Press Club, Major Khul, Imphal - 795001

You are cordially invited to join and make your valuable contribution during the discussion.

Yours sincerely

Kshetrimayum Onil
Trustee
Just Peace Foundation
Kongpal Kongkham Leikai
Imphal East – 795001
Manipur
Contact: +91-8794742009
Email: justpeacefoundation(at)gmail(dot)com