Aastha Thakur
Published on: 13 November 2022 at 22:49 IST
Solicitor General of India (SG), Tushar Mehta is leading the Indian delegation at the United National Human Rights Council in its 41st Session of Universal Periodic Review (UPR), at Geneva.
In his speech, SG Tushar Mehta talks about role played by human rights defenders, civil society groups, and journalists in a democratic polity.
The working of human rights defenders in India must be in allegiance with the law of the land. SG Mehta lauded the role played by them.
He further said, “India has always condemned instances of harassment, insults, smear campaigns and violent attacks against human rights defenders, activists, journalists and their family members,”
He emphasized that the territorial area of Jammu & Kashmir & Ladakh will be always be an integral and inalienable part of India.
He also reiterated that the Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh were and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India.
The Solicitor General said that, “After the constitutional changes and reorganization of the erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir, the people of the region and now able to realize the full potential as other parts of the country.”
“The changes have ensured better opportunities for all the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Central laws include affirmative action for the vulnerable sections, the right to free and compulsory education, non-discriminatory inheritance laws, protections against domestic violence, empowerment of women, decriminalisation of same sex relations and grant of rights to transgender persons,” said the Solicitor General.
On the issues of freedom of religion and minority rights, the SG stated, that India is multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-religious society and Indian, celebrate their diverse culture.
SG Mehta gave his opinion that, “Various states in India have also enacted the Freedom of Religion Act to ensure freedom of religion guaranteed under the Constitution. Such legislations impose restrictions on and prohibit conversions from one religion to another by the use of force, inducement, allurement or fraudulent means.”
“Thus, referring to such legislation as anti-conversion laws would be a misnomer. The Supreme Court has also upheld the constitutional validity of States’ Freedom of Religion Acts,”
The Indian Delegation who accompanied SG Mehta, comprised of senior officials from the Union Ministries of External Affairs, Women and Child Development, Social Justice and Empowerment, Minority Affairs, NITI Aayog and Vice-Chancellor of National Law University, Delhi, Prof SKD Rao.
