HC notices to DGP, Shimla MC over displaying names outside eateries
The High Court of Himachal Pradesh has issued notices to the DGP, Home Secretary and the Shimla Municipal Corporation on the issue of displaying names outside dhabas and eateries.
The notices have been issued on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed before a Division Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Satyen Vaidya. The court directed the respondents that the replies in this regard may be filed within next three weeks.
Petitioner Tikender Panwar, a former Deputy Mayor of Shimla, contended that the statements of senior government functionaries, including Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh and Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh, could prove to be detrimental to the communal harmony of Shimla.
The petitioner challenged certain directives of government officials concerning the Sanjauli mosque and the alleged illegal construction, particularly in the context of rising communal tension. He sought the protection of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15, 19 and 21 of the Constitution, which had allegedly been violated.
The petition has been filed to protect the life, liberty and social-economic dignity of the targeted individuals like food sellers, entrepreneurs, tailors and others, who have received threats of social boycott, eviction, demolition and ex-communication. It has been contended that the petition has been filed as the targeted individuals lack means and resources to access courts.
