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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

NHRC sword hangs over top Pune officials

Mumbai: ​The top administrative brass of Pune—the Municipal Commissioner and the Police Commissioner—are likely to face unprecedented legal and regulatory action from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over their persistent failure to rein in illegal, deafening sound systems. With civic and police authorities displaying chronic inertia in enforcing mandatory sound limits during recent festivities, the statutory human rights watchdog is poised to hold both top officials directly...

NHRC sword hangs over top Pune officials

Mumbai: ​The top administrative brass of Pune—the Municipal Commissioner and the Police Commissioner—are likely to face unprecedented legal and regulatory action from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over their persistent failure to rein in illegal, deafening sound systems. With civic and police authorities displaying chronic inertia in enforcing mandatory sound limits during recent festivities, the statutory human rights watchdog is poised to hold both top officials directly liable for gross dereliction of duty. This impending crackdown is spearheaded by Pune-based social activist Sharad Kelkar, whose comprehensive petition to the NHRC exposed the rampant proliferation of multi-speaker DJ consoles, plasma sound systems, and blinding laser lights that have turned city streets into hazardous zones. ​At the core of this imminent administrative crisis is the recognition that unbridled acoustic violence is not merely a municipal inconvenience or an environmental transgression, but an overt violation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to life, health, and a peaceful existence. Under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2005, both the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune City Police are the designated implementation authorities tasked with preventing noise levels from crossing prescribed daytime and nighttime thresholds. Following Kelkar’s initial complaint, the NHRC had issued a formal notice to the Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board (MPCB), demanding a detailed explanation and an action-taken report. Yet, despite clear warning signals from the national panel, the city administration showed utter disregard during the recent Dahi Handi festivities, during which massive DJ towers blared at deafening volumes well past permissible limits across nearly every major square. Decisive Follow-up ​Refusing to let the administrative apathy slide, Kelkar has now filed a decisive follow-up complaint before the NHRC with an exhaustive dossier of time-stamped video footage, audio logs, and decibel-level documentation gathered from across the city during Dahi Handi, conclusively demonstrating that local police stations and municipal ward offices turned a blind eye to brazen violations. With clear visual and technical evidence establishing that sound levels consistently surpassed hazardous thresholds, the prospective NHRC directives are expected to demand stern show-cause responses from both commissioners, potentially triggering formal disciplinary proceedings and severe legal sanctions. ​The gravity of the NHRC’s expected intervention is deeply anchored in the acute physiological damage inflicted on society’s most vulnerable demographics. High-intensity low-frequency bass waves generated by modern DJ setups pose severe risks to senior citizens, newborn infants, pregnant women, and patients suffering from cardiovascular conditions or chronic hypertension. Hospitals and residential neighborhoods situated in the vicinity of traditional procession routes frequently report sudden spikes in panic attacks, insomnia, and acute acoustic trauma, often forcing families to temporarily migrate out of the city to avoid falling ill. By categorizing such systemic exposure as a human rights violation, the NHRC’s pending action seeks to shatter the culture of impunity that local authorities have long granted under the guise of festive leeway. ​This institutional crackdown aligns perfectly with an unprecedented groundswell of public outrage spilling onto the streets of Pune. Pushed to the brink by years of unaddressed grievances, frustrated citizens have launched back-to-back weekend protests to demand an immediate, complete ban on DJs and high-decibel loudspeakers ahead of Ganeshotsav.

India working on logistics of Tahawwur Rana's extradition

  • PTI
  • Feb 14, 2025
  • 3 min read

Updated: Feb 18, 2025

Tahawwur Rana

Washington: India is working on the logistics of Tahawwur Rana's surrender and extradition from the US, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has said, as President Donald Trump announced that his administration has given the go-ahead to extradite the 26/11 terror attack accused “to face justice".

“This is an issue on which the US authorities have taken very clear decisions. I think you've seen the President announce it himself from the White House podium" the decision of the US to extradite Rana, Misri said at a press conference here on Thursday.


During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House, US President Donald Trump announced that his administration has approved the extradition of "very evil" Tahawwur Rana, wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, "to face justice in India”.


In response to a question by PTI on the timeframe by when Rana will be extradited to India, Misri said: "We are working on the logistics of his surrender and extradition to India. There are a few final steps to be completed. The two sides are in touch on this particular issue.”


The India-US joint statement issued during the Prime Minister's visit to the US notes that Modi and Trump reaffirmed that the global scourge of terrorism must be fought and terrorist safe havens eliminated from every corner of the world.

“They committed to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats from groups, including Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Jaish-e Mohammad, and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba in order to prevent heinous acts like the attacks in Mumbai on 26/11 and the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021," the joint statement said.


“Recognising a shared desire to bring to justice those who would harm our citizens, the US announced that the extradition to India of Tahawwur Rana has been approved," it said.


The leaders further called on Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai, and Pathankot attacks and ensure that its territory is not used to carry out cross-border terrorist attacks.

"The leaders also pledged to work together to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems and to deny access to such weapons by terrorists and non-state actors,” the joint statement added.

Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is currently lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles. He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.

Speaking at the joint press meet, Trump said "Today I am pleased to announce that my administration has approved the extradition of one of the plotters and very evil people of the world, and having to do with the horrific Mumbai terrorist attack, to face justice in India. So, he is going back to India to face justice."


The extradition of Rana was cleared by the US Supreme Court in January as it rejected his review petition in the case.


India last month said it was working with American authorities for the early extradition of Rana.


"The US Supreme Court on January 21 declined to hear a petition from the accused. We are now working with the US side on procedural issues for early extradition to India of the accused in the Mumbai terror attack," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.


In November 2012, Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving gunman among the Pakistani group, was hanged to death in Yerawada Jail in Pune.

-PTI

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