Now Reading: PUCL condemns ex-judge’s appointment to TN SC/ST panel
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PUCL condemns ex-judge’s appointment to TN SC/ST panel
The Story in Brief
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, has condemned the Tamil Nadu government’s 10 November appointment of former judge Justice M.V. Muralidharan as Chairperson of the State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The PUCL links the appointment to his 27 March 2023 single-judge order directing Manipur to recommend Meitei community inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list, a move the Supreme Court later found had ‘crossed the constitutional fence’. The order preceded ethnic violence that killed over a hundred people and displaced tens of thousands.
The PUCL argues Justice Muralidharan’s directive played a foundational role in precipitating the Manipur crisis. The Tamil Nadu government’s decision, it says, rewards actions contrary to constitutional principles of social justice and fraternity.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The framing of the appointment differs chiefly in the tone of the condemnation each outlet leads with. Countercurrents.org immediately labels Justice Muralidharan a ‘mouthpiece of the ruling BJP governments’ and calls the appointment a ‘reward’, while The Hindu reports the PUCL statement factually without endorsing the characterisation. Countercurrents.org also provides political and demographic context, calling the Meitei community ‘socially and economically advanced’, and accusing then Chief Minister Biren Singh of spreading hatred, that The Hindu states more neutrally as ‘inflammatory remarks’. Both sources are uniform in reporting the Supreme Court’s finding that the single-judge order had ‘crossed the constitutional fence’. The core difference lies in editorial framing: Countercurrents.org overtly ties the appointment to a political reward narrative, whereas The Hindu keeps the story as a civil liberties group’s criticism.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral
Sources (2): countercurrents.org (government critical), thehindu.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
