– Mohd.Naushad Khan
New Delhi:
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Delhi, honoured N.D. Pancholi with the Lifetime Dedication Award for his relentless service in promoting human rights and democracy. The felicitation event was held on Saturday evening at the Press Club of India.
N.D. Pancholi joined the Indian Renaissance Institute in 1972. He played a key role in forming Citizens for Democracy in 1973-74 and was one of its founding members. He also co-founded PUCL & DR and served as its General Secretary in Delhi from 1976 to 1980.
Pancholi has been active in PUCL since 1980. He worked closely with Justice V.M. Tarkunde and is a member of The Tarkunde Memorial Foundation.
He was part of many fact-finding missions, often at personal risk. These included reports on the Delhi Carnage of Sikhs, civil liberty violations in Punjab and Kashmir, among others. In 1985, he co-authored the report Oppression in Punjab. The report was banned, and he was arrested. In March 1990, he joined a fact-finding mission to Kashmir under severe lockdown. He later continued similar missions to Punjab and Kashmir.
Pancholi is also known for filing many PILs on behalf of PUCL. He has provided free legal aid for workers, victims of human rights violations, and communal violence. He also fought cases against the demolition of jhuggis in Delhi. He served PUCL and Citizens for Democracy in several roles.
PUCL Delhi expressed pride in Pancholi’s long-standing commitment and thanked him for his selfless service to humanity.
After receiving the award, Pancholi shared his thoughts with Radiance. “It’s a surprise for me. Many other activists have done much more. But I agreed because the main idea is the need to defend human rights in our country. Such meetings are important. They highlight the urgency of protecting civil liberties. I feel proud. This event is not just to honor me but to honor the activism behind human rights,” he said.
The award was presented by Senior Supreme Court lawyer Sanjay Parikh.
Prominent figures present at the event included Prof. S.S.P. Singh, Advocate Arun Maji (President, PUCL Delhi), Senior Advocates Ashok Panda and H.S. Phoolka, T.S. Ahuja (General Secretary, PUCL Delhi), journalist Joseph Maliakan, and Syeda Hameed, former Planning Commission member.
