The banned Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has voiced its opposition to the rejection of its vakalatnama by the judicial tribunal calling it injustice.
The HNLC in a letter to Justice Soumitra Saikia, who heads the tribunal, through its legal counsel Fernando Shangpliang said the rejection of its vakalatnama due to the absence of an original signature is a deliberate suppression of their fundamental rights.
“The legal constraints imposed by the draconian UAPA ban make it impossible for us to appear publicly without risking illegal detention. By insisting on a physical signature, the Indian judiciary is complicit in denying us our constitutional right to legal representation under Article 22(1),” HNLC general secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw said.
Stating that courts have previously acknowledged the necessity of alternative verification methods, the HNLC demanded the tribunal to permit scanned or digitally signed documents. “To deny this request is to endorse the ongoing political witch-hunt against our people and facilitate the systematic erasure of our resistance through legal technicalities,” it stated.
While challenging the ban under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the HNLC in the letter said the ban is unjust, arbitrary and politically motivated to suppress the legitimate aspirations of the Hynñiewtrep people.
“The so-called “court” (UAPA Tribunal) is controlled by the same criminals, the government that imposed the ban in the first place. So it’s like asking the thief to judge his own crime. It is a quasi-judicial body, formed by the central government, headed by a judge chosen by that same government, and tasked with deciding on a case brought forward by the government itself. This creates a deep conflict of interest, making it more likely to serve as a rubber stamp than as a fair and impartial judge of truth,” the HNLC stated.
Calling for an open political dialogue to uphold democracy and justice, the outfit said the government cannot hide behind outdated colonial-era laws like UAPA. “Banning HNLC does not resolve the issue; it only deepens the alienation of the Hynniewtrep people. The struggle for sovereignty cannot be erased by legal bans; it is a historical truth that will persist until justice is served,” it added.
Further it urged the tribunal to break free from the political machinery and uphold justice by striking down the ban.
