NEW DELHI: Twenty-five prominent Indian figures, including former Supreme Court and high court judges, economists, activists, and poets, have called on Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to halt the licensing process that permits the export of military arms and ammunition to Israel.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the letter criticizes Israel’s actions in Gaza, describing them as genocidal and highlighting the significant Palestinian casualties resulting from the conflict.
The signatories express concern over India’s reported arms exports to Israel amid the Gaza conflict. They argue that India’s support—evidenced by the issuance of licenses to at least three companies for exporting arms and military equipment to Israel—contradicts India’s obligations under international law and the principles outlined in Articles 21 and 51(c) of the Indian Constitution.
“We are writing to you as concerned citizens, alarmed by the ongoing grant of export licenses and permissions to Indian companies for supplying military arms and munitions to Israel since the Gaza war began,” the letter states.
It also references the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that Israel has breached the Genocide Convention and is unlawfully occupying Palestinian territories.
“In light of these rulings, supplying military material to Israel would violate India’s obligations under international humanitarian law and the mandate of Article 21 in conjunction with Article 51(c) of the Indian Constitution. We urge you to cancel the existing export licenses and cease issuing new ones for companies supplying military equipment to Israel,” the letter emphasizes.
The signatories include notable figures such as former Supreme Court judges Ruma Pal, B. Sudarshan Reddy, and S.N. Variava; former Madras High Court judge K. Chandru; former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah; retired IFS officers Deb Mukherji and Ashok Sharma; retired IAS officers Meena Gupta and EAS Sarma; former Lalit Kala Akademi chairperson Ashok Vajpeyi; author Arundhati Roy; musician T.M. Krishna; CPIM leader Brinda Karat; psephologist Yogendra Yadav; senior advocate Chander Uday Singh; advocates Prashant Bhushan, R. Vaigai, and Mihir Desai; activists Harsh Mander, Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Anjali Bhardwaj, Kavita Srivastava, and Vijayan MJ; and development economist Jean Dreze.
