The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a verdict of the Supreme Court of India condemning so-called “bulldozer justice” targeting that nation’s Muslim community.
The term “bulldozer justice” refers to the demolition of properties of those accused of a crime and has disproportionately impacted Muslims. A two-judge panel of the Indian Supreme Court ruled that the state cannot take arbitrary action against suspects or convicts without following the due process of law.
The ruling stated in part: “Justice through bulldozers is unknown to any civilised system of jurisprudence. There is a grave danger that if highhanded and unlawful behaviour is permitted by any wing or officer of the State, demolition of citizens’ properties will take place as a selective reprisal for extraneous reasons.”
“We welcome this recognition by India’s Supreme Court that so-called ‘bulldozer justice’ in fact represents the absence of justice,” said Robert McCaw, CAIR Government Affairs Department Director. “We hope this ruling sends a message to government officials that they cannot abuse the law to arbitrarily and illegally target minority communities.”
In October, CAIR reiterated its call on the State Department to designate India a country of particular concern due to its persecution of Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities after the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended it be designated for the fifth time.
Also last month, CAIR welcomed findings from a new community survey from the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) in partnership with ReThink Media on the ‘detrimental effects’ of Hindutva nationalism on Indian American Muslim communities.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com