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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

NHRC sword hangs over top Pune officials

Mumbai: ​The top administrative brass of Pune—the Municipal Commissioner and the Police Commissioner—are likely to face unprecedented legal and regulatory action from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over their persistent failure to rein in illegal, deafening sound systems. With civic and police authorities displaying chronic inertia in enforcing mandatory sound limits during recent festivities, the statutory human rights watchdog is poised to hold both top officials directly...

NHRC sword hangs over top Pune officials

Mumbai: ​The top administrative brass of Pune—the Municipal Commissioner and the Police Commissioner—are likely to face unprecedented legal and regulatory action from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over their persistent failure to rein in illegal, deafening sound systems. With civic and police authorities displaying chronic inertia in enforcing mandatory sound limits during recent festivities, the statutory human rights watchdog is poised to hold both top officials directly liable for gross dereliction of duty. This impending crackdown is spearheaded by Pune-based social activist Sharad Kelkar, whose comprehensive petition to the NHRC exposed the rampant proliferation of multi-speaker DJ consoles, plasma sound systems, and blinding laser lights that have turned city streets into hazardous zones. ​At the core of this imminent administrative crisis is the recognition that unbridled acoustic violence is not merely a municipal inconvenience or an environmental transgression, but an overt violation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to life, health, and a peaceful existence. Under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2005, both the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune City Police are the designated implementation authorities tasked with preventing noise levels from crossing prescribed daytime and nighttime thresholds. Following Kelkar’s initial complaint, the NHRC had issued a formal notice to the Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board (MPCB), demanding a detailed explanation and an action-taken report. Yet, despite clear warning signals from the national panel, the city administration showed utter disregard during the recent Dahi Handi festivities, during which massive DJ towers blared at deafening volumes well past permissible limits across nearly every major square. Decisive Follow-up ​Refusing to let the administrative apathy slide, Kelkar has now filed a decisive follow-up complaint before the NHRC with an exhaustive dossier of time-stamped video footage, audio logs, and decibel-level documentation gathered from across the city during Dahi Handi, conclusively demonstrating that local police stations and municipal ward offices turned a blind eye to brazen violations. With clear visual and technical evidence establishing that sound levels consistently surpassed hazardous thresholds, the prospective NHRC directives are expected to demand stern show-cause responses from both commissioners, potentially triggering formal disciplinary proceedings and severe legal sanctions. ​The gravity of the NHRC’s expected intervention is deeply anchored in the acute physiological damage inflicted on society’s most vulnerable demographics. High-intensity low-frequency bass waves generated by modern DJ setups pose severe risks to senior citizens, newborn infants, pregnant women, and patients suffering from cardiovascular conditions or chronic hypertension. Hospitals and residential neighborhoods situated in the vicinity of traditional procession routes frequently report sudden spikes in panic attacks, insomnia, and acute acoustic trauma, often forcing families to temporarily migrate out of the city to avoid falling ill. By categorizing such systemic exposure as a human rights violation, the NHRC’s pending action seeks to shatter the culture of impunity that local authorities have long granted under the guise of festive leeway. ​This institutional crackdown aligns perfectly with an unprecedented groundswell of public outrage spilling onto the streets of Pune. Pushed to the brink by years of unaddressed grievances, frustrated citizens have launched back-to-back weekend protests to demand an immediate, complete ban on DJs and high-decibel loudspeakers ahead of Ganeshotsav.

Lateral upgrade to ailing annihilation

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Lateral upgrade to ailing annihilation

Being the first person from the private sector to be appointed as chairperson of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as part of the government’s lateral initiative, Madhabi Puri Buch also holds the honour of being the first woman to hold the top post as capital market regulator.

But the laurels that the former private sector banker enjoyed in her earlier stint with ICICI Bank, was marred with allegations that she and her husband were having a stake in offshore entities, which were used to artificially inflate shares of Adani group companies.

Terming the allegation as `character assassination, Buch clarified that all disclosures have already been furnished and the fund in question did not invest in any securities involving the Adani group.

When it rains, it pours. This allegation was subsequently followed by Congress Party allegation that Buch had received salary and post-retirement benefits from ICICI Bank after she quit the private sector bank.

In its clarification to the stock exchanges, ICICI Bank asserted that the payments made to Buch were purely retirement benefits after her exit from the bank and they were neither salary nor employee stock options.

Prior to these allegations, Buch tenure at SEBI was all about bringing in quick reforms on operational issues by changing the format of consultation paper to bring in larger responses digitally. Being data savvy, the rationale of her decisions were democratic based on big data analysis derived from the responses received to the consultation papers.

Further she bifurcated the duties of the SEBI staff between operations and enforcement, which were done by the same persons earlier. Having worked for the private sector in the capital market domain space, Buch had a better understanding of the subject compared to officers from the administrative service in the past that reflected even in her orders as a whole-time director at SEBI before becoming the chairperson. As a whole time director at SEBI, her orders on adjudication issues were more directional to the capital market space, according to experts in the compliance space. She was also quick to revamp the old provisions of the 90s at SEBI.

Being tech and data savvy, Buch enhanced regulatory surveillance and detection of market manipulation, insider trading and fraud while also emphasizing on strengthening corporate governance by introducing stricter rules for independent directors and enhancing disclosures for related-party transactions.

To put in perspective, the annual report of the capital market regulator in the just concluded financial year revealed that the number of investigations related to insider trading jumped to 175 in 2023-24 from 85 in the preceding year while probes related to front running jumped over three times to 83 from 24 in the preceding year.

Transparency in mutual funds by implementing measures to protect retail investors along with tightening norms for initial public offers, particularly in the SME platforms were some of her other positive initiatives including confirmation of denial of any market rumours within 24 hours for the top 100 listed companies which will be extended to top 250 companies from December 1. However increased transparency and compliance with tightening regulations led to increased operational costs for the market participants and hence faced resistance from certain quarters. Born in 1966, Buch completed her primary education in Mumbai and graduated with specialization in Mathematics from Delhi and later obtained a management degree from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. In between, she got engaged to Dhawal Buch, a director at a consumer goods multinational at the age of eighteen and got married at the age of 21.

Besides ICICI Bank, Buch also worked as a lecturer at a college in England, worked at Greater Pacific Capital in Singapore and ICICI Securities as its CEO. She also worked as executive director on several private sector companies and as a consultant for New Development Bank (Brics Bank).

What now remains to be seen, is whether Buch, who survived the 26/11 terror attack when she along with her husband, was attending a meeting at Taj, be able to overcome the current ordeal. Keeping fingers crossed for the times to come.

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