UP govt orders removal of caste references from police records, public notices after HC order
Lucknow, Sep 22 (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered the immediate removal of all caste references from police records and public notices, and instructed that vehicles displaying caste-based stickers or slogans be fined under the Motor Vehicles Act.
The order, issued to all police units and district administrations late Sunday, has been taken in compliance with a September 16 Allahabad High Court judgement that was aimed at eliminating caste-based discrimination, a senior official said.
Officiating chief secretary Deepak Kumar has instructed that the caste of accused persons should no longer be recorded in police registers, case memos, arrest documents, or displayed on police station notice boards, according to the official order.
"The directive has been issued in compliance with the HC order and is effective immediately," Kumar told PTI.
The state's Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) portal will also be updated to delete caste fields, and until then, officials have been told to leave such fields blank, it said.
It further mandates that police records include both the father's and mother's names of accused persons, and that caste-based stickers or slogans on vehicles be challaned under the Motor Vehicles Act.
Authorities have also been asked to remove boards or signs in towns and villages that glorify caste identities or mark areas as belonging to a particular caste, the government order said.
Caste-based rallies and public events with political motives have been banned across the state, while social media content promoting caste pride or hatred will be closely monitored. Strict action has been directed against those spreading caste-based enmity online, it stated. The government has asked officials to ensure "immediate and effective compliance" with the order and train subordinate officers to raise awareness about the new policy.
The high court's order in Praveen Chetri vs State of UP and others prohibited police from mentioning the caste of accused persons and instructed the state to prevent caste glorification in public and digital spaces.
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
