Withdraw Contempt of Court Case against Prashant Bhusan
Respect to Freedom of Expression & Dissent of Opinion as Democratic Rights
Bhubaneswar, 19th August 2020: Expressing Solidarity to an eminent lawyer of Supreme Court and noted Human Right Activist Prashant Bhusan, democratic & human rights activists today organised peaceful protests across the state including at Bhubaneswar, capital of Odisha.
They demanded for withdrawal of 14th August order by Supreme Court against Mr Bhusan and stop any further proceedings against him
They alleged that by trying to prosecute to Mr Prashant Bhusan by three members’ bench for his twits regarding present as well as former Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India is nothing but an attack on freedom of expression and dissent voices. When Supreme Court of India miserably failed to address the issues of state repression on peoples of Kashmir after the abrogation of Article-370, to look the nationwide protest against Citizens Amendment Act-2019 and plights of thousands of migrant labourers in the period of Covid-19, but taking unpredictable promptness as so-motto case against Prashant Bhusan is questionable, they pointed. The colonial act like contempt of court which is anti-people by nature has not been abolished yet after 73 years of independence, which is working as the weapon in the hands of rulers to suppress the dissent voices. Though the Supreme Court declared Prashant Bhusan as guilty and go forward to punish him for so-called guilty, that will not increase the image of the higher court, rather it will lose the belief of common masses.
Different democratic and human right organizations like All India People’s Forum(AIPF), Jana Adhikar Manch, Campaign Against Fabricated Cases(CAFC), We The People of India, Ganatantrik Adhikar Suraksha Sangathan(GASS), Indian Social Action Forum(INSAF), Basti Suraksha Manch, CPI(M.L), Forward Blok, Lokshakti Abhiyan-Lohia Academy, other organisation and individuals as lawyers, intellectuals, social & political activists, trade union leaders were associated with that solidarity protest for Prashant Bhusan. The activities were also held at Berhampur of South Odisha, Cuttack of Eastern-Coastal Odisha, Bhadrak & Balasore of North Odisha, Nayagarh and Baragarh-Sambalpur of Western Odisha as well as other parts of Odisha.
All this information is given in a press release.
