Lucknow, March 9: The Allahabad High Court on Monday ordered the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh to remove all posters and banners  'naming and shaming' the anti-CAA protesters across the state. In its order, the Court directed the removal of all hoardings that revealed the names and photos of persons accused of violence during protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The Bench, headed by Chief Justice Govind Mathur, heard the case and gave its judgment.

The Court on Sunday had taken cognizance of the Lucknow administration's move to put up hoardings with pictures of those accused of violence during the anti-CAA protest in December last year. The District Magistrate and Divisional Police Commissioner were asked to explain the law under which the hoardings have been put up in Lucknow. However, the Court reserved its verdict on Friday and delivered the verdict on Monday.

According to a report by Live Law,  during the hearing on Sunday, the court had orally observed that "good sense should prevail on the State and it should remove the hoardings and apprise the court about it". Priyanka Gandhi Slams Yogi Adityanath Over Hoardings by UP Govt Featuring Anti-CAA Protesters.

On Friday, the Lucknow administration had put up about 100 hoardings with photographs of the anti-CAA protesters. Reports inform that details including the names, photographs and residential addresses of the accused were listed on the hoardings. The move sparked fear among those named on the hoardings.

The decision of the UP government to reveal the identities of the protesters drew criticism and strong reactions from protesters, political leaders, legal experts and social activists.

In December 2019, sporadic violence was reported from Uttar Pradesh after protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act turned violent at many places. As part of the crackdown, thousands of protesters were arrested in several violence-hit districts and charges of rioting and attempted murder were filed against them.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 09, 2020 02:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).