MONTH-IN-PERSPECTIVE
JAMMU & KASHMIR: In the latest issue of the Sunday Magazine section of THE HINDU, there appeared a stunning piece of writing by Ashish Kaul, a media veteran. The title “The Stone Warriors” says it all.
Quoting a 19 year old Shaheen Khan, a high school dropout from a village in West Kashmir, he writes “Every night we pray that there is no dawn. Lord, keep the Sun in your arms so that innocents are given another day of life. It is written in Kashmir’s destiny that peace be found only in darkness”.
Indeed, it is a very poignant remark from a 19 year old youth, about the feeling of resignation to their fate in the ongoing restlessness in the valley.
However, what debunks the theory propagated by Pakistan, Kashmiri separatists and of course by some Indian media men and women, is the statement of another youth, ‘villages in the valley march on the orders of terrorist leaders to throw stones and chant ‘azadi’; they risk their lives at the hands of security forces when they do and when they don’t, they risk a brutal death at the hands of militants.’
Basharat Khan, a resident of village Nai Basti, in Anantnag, which is renamed by terrorists as Islamabad, adds “They keep a list of residents and maintain record of those who follow orders and more specifically of those who don’t. If we don’t follow orders, they attack our houses. My car was attacked and the glass smashed by a bunch of boys barely out of school”.
Sajad Ghani, a garment trader, on the Srinagar national highway, had another kind of story to tell, “Militancy is the biggest trade in the valley. Most trade is controlled by businesses that have muhim (agitation) leaders as invisible partners”. According to him ‘On street militancy has quickly emerged as a career option for a breed of Young Kashmiris born in the shadow of guns and terror.’
And comes Shabnam Mir, 17, “These young boys also harass women who want to study and work towards a progressive life. Women are often threatened and molested in the name of muhim”. Shabnam dropped out of High school in Sopore after she was publicly abused.
Thus, while there cannot be any justification for the wrongs, if any, by the security forces, it is the general atmosphere of violence perpetrated and sustained by separatists and their benefactors from Pakistan which is the causa proxima of the upheavals happening in Kashmir. While there has to be sincere and concerted efforts by the state to rope in and look after ordinary law abiding citizens, measures must be put in place to contain and eradicate militancy in the valley. Only then there can be a hope for peace in Kashmir. Hope it happens.
HARYANA: There was this report in the print media, regarding the ‘conviction of Ex DGP of Haryana SPS Rathore in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case upheld’, but truly speaking it was upheld only in letter and not in spirit. Many a time, the judgement of courts, including that of the highest court of the land leave much to be desired. In this particular case, Rathore became notorious for misusing his power as a DGP/ former DGP with a hapless girl and her family. That it took 27 years for the final disposal of the case is a serious reflection on our justice delivery system, is another dimension of our democratic polity.
But the fact remains, that the honourable judges in their wisdom, while upholding the conviction, reduced the quantum of punishment, which was truly speaking already so low. Rathore was awarded with just 18 months in jail, which was very less considering the terror he unleashed on the family and the young girl Ruchika committed suicide only to save the family from further harassment.
That the court upheld the conviction but reduced the quantum of punishment to equal what he has already undergone, is totally unjustified, for the simple reason, he had challenged his conviction while undergoing his jail term and was granted bail after 6 months of his being behind bars. Thus the latest conviction by the apex court lost its meaning, when he does not have to undergo any more jail term after he challenged the conviction. So, clearly he succeeded in not getting any more jail term which he really wanted. He should have been, at least for a period of 3 months as token, put behind bars, while granting him 9 months remission. Then primacy of the law would have been respected, upheld and established. Or was it because he was ‘high & mighty’ a senior police officer that the court went soft!?
NEW DELHI: The expression of Supreme Court’s concern regarding the inhuman and insanitary condition of our jails across the country has not come a day too early. The report “SC distressed on inhuman condition in jails” in the print media has only confirmed the rot. It has been a fact in the public space for a long long time.
All those Indians privy to the news in public space are in the know of the overcrowded jails in just about any city in India. While it can be a reflection of our ever growing population, as the second most populous country in the world, it is also true that the police department is apparently apathetic towards the jail inmates and their well being. The view- after all they are criminals, whether under trials or convicted, they get what they deserved, tends to make the department unconcerned and sometime even sadistic. Police in third world countries, including India, look at prisoners as less than human and therefore think that they do not deserve a humane treatment.
The idea that all prisoners, under whatever circumstances they were convicted or jailed to be under trails, until conviction or release, are human beings with their own human rights, is rarely appreciated by the police, at all levels, from constable to the highest levels. Fact is the adverse circumstances of a prisoner simply cannot deny him the legitimate human and fundamental right he is constitutionally entitled to.
It was way back in 1966 that Supreme Court had ordered to look into the living condition of prisoners. Thus since last 50 years, repeatedly apex court has been reminding the executive to improve the conditions inside the four walls of jails across the country.
Distressed at the poor conditions of rooms and other facilities provided to prisoners, Court has asked both the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Women & Child Development to obtain a status report of all prisons in the country so also for the preparation of manual for juveniles in the custody within a fixed time frame.
There is always a complaint from the executive regarding the judicial activism. But court comes in suo-moto, when the executive has failed. Hope executive always remain alive to the role, it is expected of.
There was this report in the print media some weeks ago “IOC, GAIL to take 49% stake in Adani Group’s Dhamra LNG project”. Read again. Do you smell any dead rat!
Gautam Adani of Adani group is a known friend of Shri Narendra Modi, who also happens to be the Prime Minister of India, under whom the petroleum ministry functions.
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) & Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL), although autonomous, is under the control of the petroleum ministry.
Both IOC and GAIL are cash rich and are known to be Navarathnas of India’s public sector undertakings (PSU). They have a performance history and have enough managerial talents to manage huge enterprises.
So why join hands with a private sector entity, whose credibility is yet to be established? That too giving the controlling management in the private hands! Adanis will be having 50% IOC/GAIL combine shall have 48% with 2% given to financial institutions.
Reportedly, the 5 million ton per year LNG import terminal, targeted to be built by 2020, shall have 4.5 million inputs from IOC & GAIL itself, so why do you need Adani?
So, the PSU is giving both the capital and revenue generation to a private sector in a platter?!
When asked why the state owned firms dumped their own projects and chose to go with a private firm, Minister Pradhan reportedly remarked “their individual plans were not viable and so, the two decided to join hands”. There is more to it than what eyes can see, not withstanding what minister had stated.
What is ailing former Karnataka Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda? Or else, why is he being removed or divested of responsibilities in the Modi Government?
There was this report “Smrithi, Gowda out in Inter-State Council Shake up.” Former HRD minister was somehow not accepted by many as the HRD head, so lost it to become the innocuous Textile Minister. Of course in every ministry there is scope for making it vibrant. But Gowda, on the other hand supposed to have a positive image and this landed him in the very heavy Railway Ministry, the highest employer of Indians with a huge sector of its own. But lost it pretty soon, unlike Smrithi who lingered. Gowda was given Law Ministry. However in the last reshuffle among others Smrithi lost her HRD, as expected, but Gowda also lost his Law Ministry, to become a kind of insignificant, Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation. So in less than 3 years, he is into third ministry. Now comes this report that both Union Minister Smrithi Irani and D.V. Sadananda Gowda have been dropped from Interstate Council too. This council is a nodal body between Centre and State for the better management of resources of the country for the greatest good of greatest number.
So, isn’t it natural to ask what’s the problem Mr. Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda?
Report that a bunch of Muslim intellectuals including Prof. Irfan Habib, Prof. Ayesha Kidwa, Dr. Gauhar Raza, Prof. Zoya Hassan, and activist Shabnam Hashmi, have rejected the triple talaq and opposed the AIMPLB stand has not come a day too early. In fact, it can well be said that, it should have come many decades earlier.
While their express public stand is welcome and will only make the cause of Muslim women activists so much stronger, their reported distrust of the central government of the day is plain and simple red herring.
This country has an elected government for all its 69 years. For all these 7 decades issue of Single Civil Code for the entire country was being discussed. But no government took the initiative to address the anomalies within the personal law of Muslims, which includes even triple talaq. In fact Shah Bano case involving the Rajiv Gandhi govt. was a shameless endorsement of communal politics. These intellectuals need to recognize that of 69 years that have gone by only about 9 years belong to NDA, and the remaining 60+ years, it was the governments of only Congress for about 45 years and 10 years of UPA I&II, led by Congress and Janata dispensation, and at no time these thinkers of the community so openly expressed their view and had no occasion to suspect the intention of the government, since these governments had no intention at all, to address the issue of injustice to women among Indian Muslims.
This government need to be commended for its clear stand in expressing its complete disapproved of Triple Talaq, Polygamy and Nikah Halala. It’s only then these intellectuals mustered enough courage to express their long held view but still vary of complimenting the government of the day.
This group of intellectuals never stood by bold people who tried to speak about issues of concerns in practices of Indian Muslims. The bold film ‘Beary’ by a young Mangalorean Muslim T.H. Altaf miserably failed in public space because of not only obscurantists within the community but also because of these intellectuals. Of course less said the better of our secular brigade both in the media and public space who are never even handed in their opinions.
In any case, better late than never, Muslim women, especially in the younger group, can look forward to better social atmosphere, like this 18 year old Arshiya Bagwan of Baramathi, Pune, who was divorced within 2 years of her marriage, writing to PM Modi to bring about the Uniform Civil Code.
Indeed there is a need for open debate for Common Civil Code by involving all sections of women, who are truly the affected party in this whole struggle.
BIHAR: The Patna High court order quashing the notification banning consumption and sale of liquor in Bihar was on expected lines. Notwithstanding the Supreme Court intervention at a future date, it can safely be said that such banning, necessarily need to take into a/c, the freedom of choice enshrined in the constitution. An executive, as state government, can impose restrictions for public good, but cannot ban right of choice. The government, in its wisdom can impose heavy duties and taxes to make it as difficult and as expensive as possible to deter people to buy liquor or any product to protect people. We all recognize that consumption of liquor, beyond a limit, is not good for a country’s physical, social and financial health of its individuals and the society at large. Unlike any other practice, the consumption of alcohol can be highly habit forming. For an economically poorer section of society with a family to support, in many cases with number of children, habit of daily liquor consumption can be ruinous. Therefore any logic of the state to make it prohibitively expensive for people to buy liquor can be accepted. But to deny it completely is untenable. There must be flexibility, if the buyer of the alcohol wants to buy at least by paying higher price.
This way, you neither infringe his fundamental right to choices, besides making revenue for the state, so also to a fair extent the menace of heavy drinking among the poorer section of the society could have been controlled.
Here the problem with Bihar government is the draconian measures included in the notification, of arresting just about anybody who is connected to the violator, including his family. Surely Supreme Court shall take the call to ensure that law in its sanity should prevail over the insanity of executive orders.
Bihar is not one of those states which makes lot of nationally relevant news. It does make news mostly for wrong reasons.
‘Sarkar is out of jail’ was the slogan, which rent the air outside Bhagalpur jail in Gopalgunj, Bihar. Reportedly there were 40 MLAs of ruling RJD party and 4 cabinet ministers of Nitish Kumar government with hundreds of supporters in their 300 vehicles, all RJD supporters. Mohammad Shahabuddin was released on bail after being inside for 11 years in jail. When he came out of the jail, all senior police officers of Bhagalpur Central jail were present to see him off and escort him to the waiting SUV.
He was driven in a procession to Gopalgunj, a distance of 400km from Bhagalpur, with some 1300 vehicles, with RJD leaders greeting him with garlands and bursting of crackers on the way in different places on the highway.
This man Mohammad Shahabuddin was elected to Bihar Assembly twice and four times to Parliament, is known to have 49 cases of heinous crimes, including murders, loot, extortion and assault of district Superintendent of Police. Varieties in the case included bizarre acid bathing of two brothers and later killing another brother who witnessed it. There may not be many appropriate words to describe the amount of atrocity this man has caused to the people in and around his constituency. Indeed, it appeared, every inch his 'Sarkar'.
However, while it was crass negligence on the part of the Bihar government of Nitish Kumar to have failed to oppose the bail, what happened in Patna High Court that led to the granting of bail to this multiple murderer is best left to the imagination on the serious moral decay in the portals of justice. However it is to the credit of Supreme Court to have acted fast in getting the bail scrapped and send this friend and benefactor of RJD and its Supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav back to Bhagalpur Central Jail.
He had come out of jail with the roar of the lion with 1300 vehicles honking its way from Bhagalpur to Gopalgunj. He went back after 21 days of freedom without even a whimper of a cat under police escort.
Thank God, there is some remnants of judicial optimism that has survived in the otherwise decaying standard of the justice delivery system. At least the parents of those 3 brothers killed by this criminal and his henchmen and the wife of journalist Swarup Rajan who was murdered only a few months ago on the orders of this Shahabuddin from inside the jail, would breath little easier since the ‘Sarkar’ is back where he should ‘insha allah’ remain for the rest of his life.
MAHARASHTRA: Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar has reportedly stated, post Maratha protest, in Maharashtra “Govt. responsible for discontent among Marathas”. Indeed for every protest of people, in someway, the government is responsible. But he was not accusing any of the past government in the Mumbai Sachivaalay. He was blaming the present government led by BJP. But BJP is in power for a year or so. During the last 70 years of managing Bombay first and then Maharashtra later, it was the Congress party which ruled the state. Sharad Pawar was part of the Congress and was also part of the government subsequently as the breakaway NCP Supremo. He was even Chief Minister, a Maratha himself. So the blame has to be at the door of Sharad Pawar and his family. He and his family has made enough and more for themselves. At that time, Marathas never complained, since he kept the leaders happy. Ajit Pawar was in the news for all wrong reasons. Hundreds of crores of Irrigation funds have vanished without irrigating the land. Why did Marathas keep quite? Lavasa development has made his daughter and son-in-Law richer. There are other scams including his connection with underworld fugitive Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. No Maratha has complained. For sure BJP is not a model alternative for governance. But, they were hardly in power. Besides as a community, like Patels in Gujarath or Jats in Haryana or Rajasthan, they are well off than most Indians. They are only flexing their muscle for political points against the ruling BJP. Therefore if Congress and NCP are blamed for this Maratha protest, the accusation may not be wrong. It’s not empowerment, its politics. But the truth is, all political parties are opportunists. Its question of who is less bad among all bads.
Except film buffs, not many would have known bollywood film maker Anurag Kashyap. Now more Indians will know him. There was this report in the print media “Anurag Kashyap locks horns with PM”, and reportedly, AAP and Congress have supported him.
Arvind Kejriwal became more famous in India and outside India, mostly for his no holds barred attack on Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India. Kejriwal even called Modi “a psychopath”.
Whether anybody likes it or not, Modi has been elected democratically as Prime Minister by his own strength. There is still more than 30 months to unseat him, if possible, in the next election due in 2019.
This Kashyap is upset that some of the bollywood films have been banned due to some Pakistani contents. Film has been banned by theatre owners and some film maker’s organization, due to heightened tension between India & Pakistan.
What has Modi done?
This Kashyap is asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologize for his Lahore Trip. PM Modi had gone to Lahore in perceived national interest and many in the civilised world appreciated it. How are bollywood films comparable to it?
Is this Kashyap thick headed?
Of course, no marks for guessing why AAP and Congress supported this Kashyap.
Kashyap reportedly also remarked “Narendra Modi, you actually diverted your trip on our tax money and films banned were shot on money on which someone here pays interest.” If you borrow, you have to pay interest. And if you are a Prime Minister of the country, his travel on official work has to be paid by the exchequer, having the tax money at its disposal.
Is it some great intelligence to say this, except to make news in the public space, that you are ‘a bold’ Modi baiter like Kejriwal?!
This Kashyap has made himself a laughing stock, like some other big mouths in Bollywood.
The report “Now, Pak Singer Blasts Uri Attack” had appeared in a Mumbai based news paper. Shafqat Amanat Ali, a Pakistani Singer is the first person from the western neighbor to condemn the Uri terror attack. So, there are Pakistani artists who do condemn actions of his countrymen! In India, we routinely do so in the public space. So what prevented the likes of Fawad Khan, whose film was stopped by MNS and cinema theatres owners in India to express similar sentiments? This Karan Johar and his ilk in the bollywood could have asked this Fawad Khan to condemn the Uri attack instead of asking the likes of Kashyap to demand apology from the Prime Minister of the country for his Lahore visit. These jokers do not have a sense of proportion. They think in the name of freedom of expression they can bark anything they like. They need to recognize that, if these Pak actors have refrained from condemning the terror attack on India by Pakistani inspired groups, either now or in the past, it’s only because, either they are too patriotic Pakistanis or they are mortally scarred to say so. These Pak artists realize at their own perils that they will not survive in Pakistan, with their freedom of expression. Not only the authorities will hit them but also likes of Hafiz Saeed will kill them. So they want to have their cake in India and eat it in Pakistan. Hell with Indian concerns!
This aspect, our Indian jokers among artistes, does not recognize. And then you have characters like Anurag Kashyap making himself a joke. Of course, outfits like Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is only trying to get some political advantages, which it will not get anyway. Its umbilical cousin Shiv Sena is smart & therefore discreet. But this is Indian politics.
The ongoing controversy on films with Pakistani actors do not seem to die. Mostly because, it is hurting the financial interest of one film maker Karan Johar. So he releases a video and our media laps it up to discuss it in PRIME TIME television viewing. Not to lag behind, even print media too have joined the mêlée. And comes our “India’s National News Paper since 1878, “THE HINDU”. Of course it does not represent Hindus. Also it does not represent the TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT TRUTH. It publishes what it thinks as right. Doesn’t matter it is so much loaded in favour of one against the other, but rarely fair and even-handed in its interpretation of events happening in a complex country like India.
To-day it had its editorial titled “A closure of Indian Mind.” Probably the editor thinks, unlike his readers, he has an open mind. Be it as it may, the editorial refers to “a wider audience currently consumed by a low grade intolerance of anything Pakistani”. Mark its words ‘low grade intolerance’.
He was writing on the alleged ‘outright capitulation’ by Karan Johar to the satisfaction of MNS mob & the general public which editor refers to as “a wider audience”. Karan Johar is not in love with Pakistani artists or freedom of expression, he is interested in screening his film because he has financial stake. But, we all need to recognize that we are Indian citizens first and what we are in our professional life comes later.
For 30 long years, this ‘thousand cuts’ strategy of Pakistani army-driven-politics, has bled this country enormously. So, it is but natural for Indians of all hues to look at Pakistan with suspicion not just Sangh Parivar affiliates or MNS/Shiv Sena types. So, if Indians in general have demanded that Pakistani artists, at least condemn the latest terror attack, they cannot be branded intolerant, in the absence of such condemnation from Pakistani artists. After all these artists are privy to what is happening in their country and what their countrymen have done to India. Their agenda should not be only to enjoy Indian women on screen and then also to make good money from India, which Pakistani producers do not pay to Indian artists acting in Pak films, according to Anup Jalota.
Anup Jalota is a well known Gazal Singer and a member of Prasar Bharati, he had complained some thirteen years ago under the banner of National and Public Interest Society about this unequal treatment.
Jalota, along with Shakti Samanta and singer Abhijeet had demanded in 2003 that “Pakistan should treat Indians the same way as India treated artist from that country”. They questioned the “wisdom of the Pakistani actors earning lakhs of Indian rupees while the same was denied to Indians”. And look at what the Editor of THE HINDU writes “Do we use India’s incredible soft power to win over Pakistanis and others to the ideals of democracy, liberalism, secularism, syncretism for the greater good of the neighbourhood? Or do we reduce all people-to-people contact to unrelenting enmity?”
But then ‘it takes 2 hands to clap’ Mr. Editor.!
TELANGANA: This, our Mera Bharath Mahan is full of fundamentalists. We blame Muslim for fundamentalism. We blame Sikhs for fundamentalism. Of course, there is a huge section among Hindus too who are fundamentalists.
Now comes this so-called peace loving community of Jains. The report informing the extremely sad demise of 13 years old Aradhana of Hyderabad is a confirmation that a section of even Jains suffer from this mindset. Forcing this young child, or to even allow her to carry on fasting because ‘she wanted’ to, for as long as 68 days, is a crime.
Irom Sharmila was booked under IPC criminal code, jailed and force fed, because of her intention to ‘fast unto death’. She was accused of committing suicide. Why the same principle was not applied in the case of this child? Is it because Jains are an influential community?
Statement of her parents, that her earlier fasts of, from 12 to 21 to 41 days have brought prosperity is good enough reasons to book them under different penal laws of the land. Why police has not acted and saved the life of this young child? We don’t need dead Tapasvis, we need living legends. She could have been one, if only her parents had not pulled it so far!
KARNATAKA: It was reported in the print media that “Deve Gowda objects to Uniform Civil Code” (UCC) while speaking to press in Mangalore. JD(S) supremo who also happens to be a former P.M, spoke on 3/4 issues. But the press decided to caption it as above. They too have their priorities.
JD(S) chief was wondering why the NDA dispensation had to rake this issue of UCC when the country is embroiled in series of problems. Sure. There are any number of issues India is facing at any given time. But then it has always been like that. For all the 70 years of post independence period, the country had problems of all kind, so is this issue of UCC.
Every government in the past swept it under the carpet, for its own political compulsions. NDA led by BJP too may be having their compulsions. But then the UCC issue has persisted. It needs to be addressed for the sheer scale of injustice towards the females in our male dominated society.
Deve Gowda, in his wisdom thinks of only one religious group. In reality that is not the case. Idea of UCC is its application to all citizens of India pari passu, devoid of group and sex. It does not matter, if its male or female, it has to be applied in the spirit of equity and equality. When we talk of freedom it should be available to both men & women in the same scale.
There is a case for justice to our mothers, sisters, daughters, daughters-in-law across the religious divide. Therefore every Indian male must support it, without being dogmatic, including Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda.
I am not sure, if Deve Gowda understands this logic. A lot can be written scathingly about his politics, about his premiership, about his dynastic practices, trading in MLC and Rajya Sabha seats etc. Not sure, how many Indians remember that Lalu Prasad Yadav had called him once ‘nikamma pradhan mantri'.
He, in his fading years needs to understand the implications of what he is saying. It has to be measured and responsible.
GOA: Goa is an active place in terms of travelling, but does not make much news. However a recent news from the judiciary in Goa was the most disappointing.
Over eight years ago, on Feb. 19. 2008, on Anjuna beach a body of a young British girl of 15 years was found in semi-nude state. Her name was Scarlett Eden Keeling. Her mother is Fiona Mackeown. They were on a holiday in Goa, and left the teenager with a Goan family and proceeded to Karnataka.
Reportedly, according to the police, the young girl was first drugged and then sexually abused and was left on the beach to die. Goa police was accused of trying to hush-up the case, by dismissing it as a case of drowning. It was only after the mother of the victim, a British national, insisted on a second autopsy, which found that the girl was drugged by alcohol and cocaine and then sexually assaulted, the police registered the case as culpable homicide.
Father and Son duo of Placido Carvalho and Samson D’Souza were charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Father was accused of drugging her and son of sexually assaulting the teenager.
Recalling her struggle to get an FIR, the mother of the victim, was reported to have said “It took a huge effort for me to get even a police complaint registered.”
CBI, which took over the case upon the insistence of the family of the victim, submitted its charge sheet, accusing Samson of assault and Placido of providing narcotics to her.
After over 8 long years, Fiona Mackeown, only to be present in the Goa Children’s Court for the final verdict, travelled all the way from Devon in UK. She was reportedly devastated by the judgement. Goa Children’s Court Judge Vandana Tendulkar had acquitted both the father and son duo, of Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho, of all charges.
Reportedly, Goa Chief Minister had termed judgement “unfortunate” and “heart breaking”. According to him “such an outcome of the case needs to be challenged in the higher court”.
Fiona Mackeown feels CBI ditched her. High hopes she had, when CBI took over the case from Goa police, were dashed. “Either they are incompetent or corrupt” adding “I don’t believe they are incompetent” reportedly Fiona had remarked, indicating the corruption angle.
Clearly Goa police and CBI have lot to answer for the unfortunate killing of the teenager and that nobody has been convicted, despite CBI charge sheet to the contrary. They have clearly botched up the case. After 8 long years it is very sad, both investigative agency and the judiciary have failed to give justice to the mother of the young teenager. It was not merely justice delayed but also justice denied.
No wonder, killers and rapists are getting bolder to continue their criminal acts on helpless women. It was clearly in insincere attempt to fix the culprits, influenced by all concerned -the drug mafia, the police and of course the judiciary- to derail the wheels of justice.
TAMIL NADU: Speaking at a function in Chennai, Chief Justice of India had dismissed the Union Law Ministry’s statement that “shortage of judges is not the sole reason for increasing pendency of cases”.
Report “Judges’ work exemplary, pile up due to high litigation: CJI”, attributing to CJI T.S. Thakur, when he had praised his fraternity “Performance of judges in India is exemplary, is very commendable”.
With due respect to the Chief Justice of India, the observation by the Union Law Ministry is eminently tenable. It is an accepted fact, that India is not a model state in any respect. Our problems are myriad and our politicians can be funny and grossly unaccounted. However, it is nobody’s case that other sectors of our system are blemishless. The legislature, represented by politicians, Executive represented by the bureaucracy, ministries and police, and Judiciary represented by the legal fraternity of both judges and lawyers, are all contributors to the national mess.
The national mess includes even the pendency of cases in all levels of courts across the country. The CJI cannot escape the accountability of judges and lawyers in the mostly avoidable procrastination of the legal processes in the country. All of us are privy to the adjournment disease the courts suffer from, so also the problem of short duration each judge spends in the court and unannounced leave and absenteeism among judicial officers in different forums of dispensing justice.
Thus, while, it is true that the increase in number of judges in every court of the land shall certainly go a long way in expediting pending cases, other issues involving all stake holders are also need to be seriously looked into for a better picture of dispensation of justice in the country. Hope all concerned take the call, when called upon to do so.
WORLD: There are 3 groups of people in the world.
Those who make things happen- a small one.
Those who see things happen- a larger group.
Then there are those who are simply wondering without the idea of what is happening- the largest number.
The reaction of Pakistan, after being militarily snubbed by Indian force is in the last group. They are just wondering how it all happened and are groping for sensible response.
For far too long, Pakistani leadership thought that they will get away with their Gen Zia Ul Haq’s state policy of causing ‘thousand cuts’ to India. What India did on 29th Sept. early morning was on an invitation from Pakistan. “Aa bail Mujhe maar, agar thum mein dum hai tho’.
The Uri attack, was the ultimate proverbial last straw that forced the hand of India under Modi’s leadership. India under Modi gave probably the longest rope to Pakistan- invite to attend the swearing-in-ceremony, meet at Ufa in July 2015, unscheduled stopover at Lahore to greet Pak PM Shariff on his birthday, were all paid back vide Gurdaspur strike, attack on Pathankot airbase, and now Uri- the cup of bitterness spilled over on 18th Sept at Uri, with the killing of 19 soldiers. While everybody condemned the Pak attack, all asked for restraint. But how long!
29th Sept had to happen, for Pakistan to realize rather painfully, that what you do to India can come back with compound interest. For once Pakistan was completely at loss of words, except telling stories to the world and trying to prove India ‘a liar’.
Domestically, this strike by Indian forces will certainly rub on the ‘strong leader’ image of Modi. After Lal Bahadur Shastri, Modi is the only Prime Minister, who was upfront in dealing with the chicanery of Pakistan. Hope BJP does not over-play this to take political advantage. Of course they are entitled to bask in the glory of their leader to an extent, but not over do it. Also those, who spoke unduly critically of the man, will be restrained from now on.
So, Bob Dylan continues to make news. First, it was the announcement by the Swedish Nobel Committee that they have selected to confer on him with this year’s Nobel Prize for literature. Suddenly Bob was the global cynosure. It was, for the first time that a musician has been conferred with Nobel recognition of greatness. Jon Pareles asks, of the Nobel Committee, in The New York Times “what took them so long?”. Arguing that he is one of the very few who wrote his own song and composed the music. And he has been around for over 50 years. Indeed, the Nobel Committee was rather late in recognizing the maestro.
Now comes, another news, from Stockholm. A member of the Swedish Academy that awarded the Nobel 2016 to Bob Dylan, Per Wartberg has called Bob “impolite and arrogant”. Ever since the announcement of the award and its communication to the singer, Bob had remained incommunicado with the Swedish Academy. So, is Bob Dylan spiritually a great soul that he does not get carried away by, even the Nobel, worlds ultimate recognition of excellence? Or is it his ego that goads him into silence to such a vibrant news that spurred Jon Pareles to ask, ‘why they took so long, when his greatness and uniqueness was established long ago?’
Either way, it makes Bob Dylan, very exclusive, one of a kind, Poet Singer that the literary world has produced.
Yes, for the sake of elementary courtesy, he must respond to the Swedish Academy and go to Stockholm to receive the award in person on the 10th Dec. 2016. Hope he rises to the occasion to show his greatness.
Quoting a 19 year old Shaheen Khan, a high school dropout from a village in West Kashmir, he writes “Every night we pray that there is no dawn. Lord, keep the Sun in your arms so that innocents are given another day of life. It is written in Kashmir’s destiny that peace be found only in darkness”.
Indeed, it is a very poignant remark from a 19 year old youth, about the feeling of resignation to their fate in the ongoing restlessness in the valley.
However, what debunks the theory propagated by Pakistan, Kashmiri separatists and of course by some Indian media men and women, is the statement of another youth, ‘villages in the valley march on the orders of terrorist leaders to throw stones and chant ‘azadi’; they risk their lives at the hands of security forces when they do and when they don’t, they risk a brutal death at the hands of militants.’
Basharat Khan, a resident of village Nai Basti, in Anantnag, which is renamed by terrorists as Islamabad, adds “They keep a list of residents and maintain record of those who follow orders and more specifically of those who don’t. If we don’t follow orders, they attack our houses. My car was attacked and the glass smashed by a bunch of boys barely out of school”.
Sajad Ghani, a garment trader, on the Srinagar national highway, had another kind of story to tell, “Militancy is the biggest trade in the valley. Most trade is controlled by businesses that have muhim (agitation) leaders as invisible partners”. According to him ‘On street militancy has quickly emerged as a career option for a breed of Young Kashmiris born in the shadow of guns and terror.’
And comes Shabnam Mir, 17, “These young boys also harass women who want to study and work towards a progressive life. Women are often threatened and molested in the name of muhim”. Shabnam dropped out of High school in Sopore after she was publicly abused.
Thus, while there cannot be any justification for the wrongs, if any, by the security forces, it is the general atmosphere of violence perpetrated and sustained by separatists and their benefactors from Pakistan which is the causa proxima of the upheavals happening in Kashmir. While there has to be sincere and concerted efforts by the state to rope in and look after ordinary law abiding citizens, measures must be put in place to contain and eradicate militancy in the valley. Only then there can be a hope for peace in Kashmir. Hope it happens.
HARYANA: There was this report in the print media, regarding the ‘conviction of Ex DGP of Haryana SPS Rathore in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case upheld’, but truly speaking it was upheld only in letter and not in spirit. Many a time, the judgement of courts, including that of the highest court of the land leave much to be desired. In this particular case, Rathore became notorious for misusing his power as a DGP/ former DGP with a hapless girl and her family. That it took 27 years for the final disposal of the case is a serious reflection on our justice delivery system, is another dimension of our democratic polity.
But the fact remains, that the honourable judges in their wisdom, while upholding the conviction, reduced the quantum of punishment, which was truly speaking already so low. Rathore was awarded with just 18 months in jail, which was very less considering the terror he unleashed on the family and the young girl Ruchika committed suicide only to save the family from further harassment.
That the court upheld the conviction but reduced the quantum of punishment to equal what he has already undergone, is totally unjustified, for the simple reason, he had challenged his conviction while undergoing his jail term and was granted bail after 6 months of his being behind bars. Thus the latest conviction by the apex court lost its meaning, when he does not have to undergo any more jail term after he challenged the conviction. So, clearly he succeeded in not getting any more jail term which he really wanted. He should have been, at least for a period of 3 months as token, put behind bars, while granting him 9 months remission. Then primacy of the law would have been respected, upheld and established. Or was it because he was ‘high & mighty’ a senior police officer that the court went soft!?
NEW DELHI: The expression of Supreme Court’s concern regarding the inhuman and insanitary condition of our jails across the country has not come a day too early. The report “SC distressed on inhuman condition in jails” in the print media has only confirmed the rot. It has been a fact in the public space for a long long time.
All those Indians privy to the news in public space are in the know of the overcrowded jails in just about any city in India. While it can be a reflection of our ever growing population, as the second most populous country in the world, it is also true that the police department is apparently apathetic towards the jail inmates and their well being. The view- after all they are criminals, whether under trials or convicted, they get what they deserved, tends to make the department unconcerned and sometime even sadistic. Police in third world countries, including India, look at prisoners as less than human and therefore think that they do not deserve a humane treatment.
The idea that all prisoners, under whatever circumstances they were convicted or jailed to be under trails, until conviction or release, are human beings with their own human rights, is rarely appreciated by the police, at all levels, from constable to the highest levels. Fact is the adverse circumstances of a prisoner simply cannot deny him the legitimate human and fundamental right he is constitutionally entitled to.
It was way back in 1966 that Supreme Court had ordered to look into the living condition of prisoners. Thus since last 50 years, repeatedly apex court has been reminding the executive to improve the conditions inside the four walls of jails across the country.
Distressed at the poor conditions of rooms and other facilities provided to prisoners, Court has asked both the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Women & Child Development to obtain a status report of all prisons in the country so also for the preparation of manual for juveniles in the custody within a fixed time frame.
There is always a complaint from the executive regarding the judicial activism. But court comes in suo-moto, when the executive has failed. Hope executive always remain alive to the role, it is expected of.
There was this report in the print media some weeks ago “IOC, GAIL to take 49% stake in Adani Group’s Dhamra LNG project”. Read again. Do you smell any dead rat!
Gautam Adani of Adani group is a known friend of Shri Narendra Modi, who also happens to be the Prime Minister of India, under whom the petroleum ministry functions.
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) & Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL), although autonomous, is under the control of the petroleum ministry.
Both IOC and GAIL are cash rich and are known to be Navarathnas of India’s public sector undertakings (PSU). They have a performance history and have enough managerial talents to manage huge enterprises.
So why join hands with a private sector entity, whose credibility is yet to be established? That too giving the controlling management in the private hands! Adanis will be having 50% IOC/GAIL combine shall have 48% with 2% given to financial institutions.
Reportedly, the 5 million ton per year LNG import terminal, targeted to be built by 2020, shall have 4.5 million inputs from IOC & GAIL itself, so why do you need Adani?
So, the PSU is giving both the capital and revenue generation to a private sector in a platter?!
When asked why the state owned firms dumped their own projects and chose to go with a private firm, Minister Pradhan reportedly remarked “their individual plans were not viable and so, the two decided to join hands”. There is more to it than what eyes can see, not withstanding what minister had stated.
What is ailing former Karnataka Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda? Or else, why is he being removed or divested of responsibilities in the Modi Government?
There was this report “Smrithi, Gowda out in Inter-State Council Shake up.” Former HRD minister was somehow not accepted by many as the HRD head, so lost it to become the innocuous Textile Minister. Of course in every ministry there is scope for making it vibrant. But Gowda, on the other hand supposed to have a positive image and this landed him in the very heavy Railway Ministry, the highest employer of Indians with a huge sector of its own. But lost it pretty soon, unlike Smrithi who lingered. Gowda was given Law Ministry. However in the last reshuffle among others Smrithi lost her HRD, as expected, but Gowda also lost his Law Ministry, to become a kind of insignificant, Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation. So in less than 3 years, he is into third ministry. Now comes this report that both Union Minister Smrithi Irani and D.V. Sadananda Gowda have been dropped from Interstate Council too. This council is a nodal body between Centre and State for the better management of resources of the country for the greatest good of greatest number.
So, isn’t it natural to ask what’s the problem Mr. Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda?
Report that a bunch of Muslim intellectuals including Prof. Irfan Habib, Prof. Ayesha Kidwa, Dr. Gauhar Raza, Prof. Zoya Hassan, and activist Shabnam Hashmi, have rejected the triple talaq and opposed the AIMPLB stand has not come a day too early. In fact, it can well be said that, it should have come many decades earlier.
While their express public stand is welcome and will only make the cause of Muslim women activists so much stronger, their reported distrust of the central government of the day is plain and simple red herring.
This country has an elected government for all its 69 years. For all these 7 decades issue of Single Civil Code for the entire country was being discussed. But no government took the initiative to address the anomalies within the personal law of Muslims, which includes even triple talaq. In fact Shah Bano case involving the Rajiv Gandhi govt. was a shameless endorsement of communal politics. These intellectuals need to recognize that of 69 years that have gone by only about 9 years belong to NDA, and the remaining 60+ years, it was the governments of only Congress for about 45 years and 10 years of UPA I&II, led by Congress and Janata dispensation, and at no time these thinkers of the community so openly expressed their view and had no occasion to suspect the intention of the government, since these governments had no intention at all, to address the issue of injustice to women among Indian Muslims.
This government need to be commended for its clear stand in expressing its complete disapproved of Triple Talaq, Polygamy and Nikah Halala. It’s only then these intellectuals mustered enough courage to express their long held view but still vary of complimenting the government of the day.
This group of intellectuals never stood by bold people who tried to speak about issues of concerns in practices of Indian Muslims. The bold film ‘Beary’ by a young Mangalorean Muslim T.H. Altaf miserably failed in public space because of not only obscurantists within the community but also because of these intellectuals. Of course less said the better of our secular brigade both in the media and public space who are never even handed in their opinions.
In any case, better late than never, Muslim women, especially in the younger group, can look forward to better social atmosphere, like this 18 year old Arshiya Bagwan of Baramathi, Pune, who was divorced within 2 years of her marriage, writing to PM Modi to bring about the Uniform Civil Code.
Indeed there is a need for open debate for Common Civil Code by involving all sections of women, who are truly the affected party in this whole struggle.
BIHAR: The Patna High court order quashing the notification banning consumption and sale of liquor in Bihar was on expected lines. Notwithstanding the Supreme Court intervention at a future date, it can safely be said that such banning, necessarily need to take into a/c, the freedom of choice enshrined in the constitution. An executive, as state government, can impose restrictions for public good, but cannot ban right of choice. The government, in its wisdom can impose heavy duties and taxes to make it as difficult and as expensive as possible to deter people to buy liquor or any product to protect people. We all recognize that consumption of liquor, beyond a limit, is not good for a country’s physical, social and financial health of its individuals and the society at large. Unlike any other practice, the consumption of alcohol can be highly habit forming. For an economically poorer section of society with a family to support, in many cases with number of children, habit of daily liquor consumption can be ruinous. Therefore any logic of the state to make it prohibitively expensive for people to buy liquor can be accepted. But to deny it completely is untenable. There must be flexibility, if the buyer of the alcohol wants to buy at least by paying higher price.
This way, you neither infringe his fundamental right to choices, besides making revenue for the state, so also to a fair extent the menace of heavy drinking among the poorer section of the society could have been controlled.
Here the problem with Bihar government is the draconian measures included in the notification, of arresting just about anybody who is connected to the violator, including his family. Surely Supreme Court shall take the call to ensure that law in its sanity should prevail over the insanity of executive orders.
Bihar is not one of those states which makes lot of nationally relevant news. It does make news mostly for wrong reasons.
‘Sarkar is out of jail’ was the slogan, which rent the air outside Bhagalpur jail in Gopalgunj, Bihar. Reportedly there were 40 MLAs of ruling RJD party and 4 cabinet ministers of Nitish Kumar government with hundreds of supporters in their 300 vehicles, all RJD supporters. Mohammad Shahabuddin was released on bail after being inside for 11 years in jail. When he came out of the jail, all senior police officers of Bhagalpur Central jail were present to see him off and escort him to the waiting SUV.
He was driven in a procession to Gopalgunj, a distance of 400km from Bhagalpur, with some 1300 vehicles, with RJD leaders greeting him with garlands and bursting of crackers on the way in different places on the highway.
This man Mohammad Shahabuddin was elected to Bihar Assembly twice and four times to Parliament, is known to have 49 cases of heinous crimes, including murders, loot, extortion and assault of district Superintendent of Police. Varieties in the case included bizarre acid bathing of two brothers and later killing another brother who witnessed it. There may not be many appropriate words to describe the amount of atrocity this man has caused to the people in and around his constituency. Indeed, it appeared, every inch his 'Sarkar'.
However, while it was crass negligence on the part of the Bihar government of Nitish Kumar to have failed to oppose the bail, what happened in Patna High Court that led to the granting of bail to this multiple murderer is best left to the imagination on the serious moral decay in the portals of justice. However it is to the credit of Supreme Court to have acted fast in getting the bail scrapped and send this friend and benefactor of RJD and its Supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav back to Bhagalpur Central Jail.
He had come out of jail with the roar of the lion with 1300 vehicles honking its way from Bhagalpur to Gopalgunj. He went back after 21 days of freedom without even a whimper of a cat under police escort.
Thank God, there is some remnants of judicial optimism that has survived in the otherwise decaying standard of the justice delivery system. At least the parents of those 3 brothers killed by this criminal and his henchmen and the wife of journalist Swarup Rajan who was murdered only a few months ago on the orders of this Shahabuddin from inside the jail, would breath little easier since the ‘Sarkar’ is back where he should ‘insha allah’ remain for the rest of his life.
MAHARASHTRA: Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar has reportedly stated, post Maratha protest, in Maharashtra “Govt. responsible for discontent among Marathas”. Indeed for every protest of people, in someway, the government is responsible. But he was not accusing any of the past government in the Mumbai Sachivaalay. He was blaming the present government led by BJP. But BJP is in power for a year or so. During the last 70 years of managing Bombay first and then Maharashtra later, it was the Congress party which ruled the state. Sharad Pawar was part of the Congress and was also part of the government subsequently as the breakaway NCP Supremo. He was even Chief Minister, a Maratha himself. So the blame has to be at the door of Sharad Pawar and his family. He and his family has made enough and more for themselves. At that time, Marathas never complained, since he kept the leaders happy. Ajit Pawar was in the news for all wrong reasons. Hundreds of crores of Irrigation funds have vanished without irrigating the land. Why did Marathas keep quite? Lavasa development has made his daughter and son-in-Law richer. There are other scams including his connection with underworld fugitive Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. No Maratha has complained. For sure BJP is not a model alternative for governance. But, they were hardly in power. Besides as a community, like Patels in Gujarath or Jats in Haryana or Rajasthan, they are well off than most Indians. They are only flexing their muscle for political points against the ruling BJP. Therefore if Congress and NCP are blamed for this Maratha protest, the accusation may not be wrong. It’s not empowerment, its politics. But the truth is, all political parties are opportunists. Its question of who is less bad among all bads.
Except film buffs, not many would have known bollywood film maker Anurag Kashyap. Now more Indians will know him. There was this report in the print media “Anurag Kashyap locks horns with PM”, and reportedly, AAP and Congress have supported him.
Arvind Kejriwal became more famous in India and outside India, mostly for his no holds barred attack on Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India. Kejriwal even called Modi “a psychopath”.
Whether anybody likes it or not, Modi has been elected democratically as Prime Minister by his own strength. There is still more than 30 months to unseat him, if possible, in the next election due in 2019.
This Kashyap is upset that some of the bollywood films have been banned due to some Pakistani contents. Film has been banned by theatre owners and some film maker’s organization, due to heightened tension between India & Pakistan.
What has Modi done?
This Kashyap is asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologize for his Lahore Trip. PM Modi had gone to Lahore in perceived national interest and many in the civilised world appreciated it. How are bollywood films comparable to it?
Is this Kashyap thick headed?
Of course, no marks for guessing why AAP and Congress supported this Kashyap.
Kashyap reportedly also remarked “Narendra Modi, you actually diverted your trip on our tax money and films banned were shot on money on which someone here pays interest.” If you borrow, you have to pay interest. And if you are a Prime Minister of the country, his travel on official work has to be paid by the exchequer, having the tax money at its disposal.
Is it some great intelligence to say this, except to make news in the public space, that you are ‘a bold’ Modi baiter like Kejriwal?!
This Kashyap has made himself a laughing stock, like some other big mouths in Bollywood.
The report “Now, Pak Singer Blasts Uri Attack” had appeared in a Mumbai based news paper. Shafqat Amanat Ali, a Pakistani Singer is the first person from the western neighbor to condemn the Uri terror attack. So, there are Pakistani artists who do condemn actions of his countrymen! In India, we routinely do so in the public space. So what prevented the likes of Fawad Khan, whose film was stopped by MNS and cinema theatres owners in India to express similar sentiments? This Karan Johar and his ilk in the bollywood could have asked this Fawad Khan to condemn the Uri attack instead of asking the likes of Kashyap to demand apology from the Prime Minister of the country for his Lahore visit. These jokers do not have a sense of proportion. They think in the name of freedom of expression they can bark anything they like. They need to recognize that, if these Pak actors have refrained from condemning the terror attack on India by Pakistani inspired groups, either now or in the past, it’s only because, either they are too patriotic Pakistanis or they are mortally scarred to say so. These Pak artists realize at their own perils that they will not survive in Pakistan, with their freedom of expression. Not only the authorities will hit them but also likes of Hafiz Saeed will kill them. So they want to have their cake in India and eat it in Pakistan. Hell with Indian concerns!
This aspect, our Indian jokers among artistes, does not recognize. And then you have characters like Anurag Kashyap making himself a joke. Of course, outfits like Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is only trying to get some political advantages, which it will not get anyway. Its umbilical cousin Shiv Sena is smart & therefore discreet. But this is Indian politics.
The ongoing controversy on films with Pakistani actors do not seem to die. Mostly because, it is hurting the financial interest of one film maker Karan Johar. So he releases a video and our media laps it up to discuss it in PRIME TIME television viewing. Not to lag behind, even print media too have joined the mêlée. And comes our “India’s National News Paper since 1878, “THE HINDU”. Of course it does not represent Hindus. Also it does not represent the TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT TRUTH. It publishes what it thinks as right. Doesn’t matter it is so much loaded in favour of one against the other, but rarely fair and even-handed in its interpretation of events happening in a complex country like India.
To-day it had its editorial titled “A closure of Indian Mind.” Probably the editor thinks, unlike his readers, he has an open mind. Be it as it may, the editorial refers to “a wider audience currently consumed by a low grade intolerance of anything Pakistani”. Mark its words ‘low grade intolerance’.
He was writing on the alleged ‘outright capitulation’ by Karan Johar to the satisfaction of MNS mob & the general public which editor refers to as “a wider audience”. Karan Johar is not in love with Pakistani artists or freedom of expression, he is interested in screening his film because he has financial stake. But, we all need to recognize that we are Indian citizens first and what we are in our professional life comes later.
For 30 long years, this ‘thousand cuts’ strategy of Pakistani army-driven-politics, has bled this country enormously. So, it is but natural for Indians of all hues to look at Pakistan with suspicion not just Sangh Parivar affiliates or MNS/Shiv Sena types. So, if Indians in general have demanded that Pakistani artists, at least condemn the latest terror attack, they cannot be branded intolerant, in the absence of such condemnation from Pakistani artists. After all these artists are privy to what is happening in their country and what their countrymen have done to India. Their agenda should not be only to enjoy Indian women on screen and then also to make good money from India, which Pakistani producers do not pay to Indian artists acting in Pak films, according to Anup Jalota.
Anup Jalota is a well known Gazal Singer and a member of Prasar Bharati, he had complained some thirteen years ago under the banner of National and Public Interest Society about this unequal treatment.
Jalota, along with Shakti Samanta and singer Abhijeet had demanded in 2003 that “Pakistan should treat Indians the same way as India treated artist from that country”. They questioned the “wisdom of the Pakistani actors earning lakhs of Indian rupees while the same was denied to Indians”. And look at what the Editor of THE HINDU writes “Do we use India’s incredible soft power to win over Pakistanis and others to the ideals of democracy, liberalism, secularism, syncretism for the greater good of the neighbourhood? Or do we reduce all people-to-people contact to unrelenting enmity?”
But then ‘it takes 2 hands to clap’ Mr. Editor.!
TELANGANA: This, our Mera Bharath Mahan is full of fundamentalists. We blame Muslim for fundamentalism. We blame Sikhs for fundamentalism. Of course, there is a huge section among Hindus too who are fundamentalists.
Now comes this so-called peace loving community of Jains. The report informing the extremely sad demise of 13 years old Aradhana of Hyderabad is a confirmation that a section of even Jains suffer from this mindset. Forcing this young child, or to even allow her to carry on fasting because ‘she wanted’ to, for as long as 68 days, is a crime.
Irom Sharmila was booked under IPC criminal code, jailed and force fed, because of her intention to ‘fast unto death’. She was accused of committing suicide. Why the same principle was not applied in the case of this child? Is it because Jains are an influential community?
Statement of her parents, that her earlier fasts of, from 12 to 21 to 41 days have brought prosperity is good enough reasons to book them under different penal laws of the land. Why police has not acted and saved the life of this young child? We don’t need dead Tapasvis, we need living legends. She could have been one, if only her parents had not pulled it so far!
KARNATAKA: It was reported in the print media that “Deve Gowda objects to Uniform Civil Code” (UCC) while speaking to press in Mangalore. JD(S) supremo who also happens to be a former P.M, spoke on 3/4 issues. But the press decided to caption it as above. They too have their priorities.
JD(S) chief was wondering why the NDA dispensation had to rake this issue of UCC when the country is embroiled in series of problems. Sure. There are any number of issues India is facing at any given time. But then it has always been like that. For all the 70 years of post independence period, the country had problems of all kind, so is this issue of UCC.
Every government in the past swept it under the carpet, for its own political compulsions. NDA led by BJP too may be having their compulsions. But then the UCC issue has persisted. It needs to be addressed for the sheer scale of injustice towards the females in our male dominated society.
Deve Gowda, in his wisdom thinks of only one religious group. In reality that is not the case. Idea of UCC is its application to all citizens of India pari passu, devoid of group and sex. It does not matter, if its male or female, it has to be applied in the spirit of equity and equality. When we talk of freedom it should be available to both men & women in the same scale.
There is a case for justice to our mothers, sisters, daughters, daughters-in-law across the religious divide. Therefore every Indian male must support it, without being dogmatic, including Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda.
I am not sure, if Deve Gowda understands this logic. A lot can be written scathingly about his politics, about his premiership, about his dynastic practices, trading in MLC and Rajya Sabha seats etc. Not sure, how many Indians remember that Lalu Prasad Yadav had called him once ‘nikamma pradhan mantri'.
He, in his fading years needs to understand the implications of what he is saying. It has to be measured and responsible.
GOA: Goa is an active place in terms of travelling, but does not make much news. However a recent news from the judiciary in Goa was the most disappointing.
Over eight years ago, on Feb. 19. 2008, on Anjuna beach a body of a young British girl of 15 years was found in semi-nude state. Her name was Scarlett Eden Keeling. Her mother is Fiona Mackeown. They were on a holiday in Goa, and left the teenager with a Goan family and proceeded to Karnataka.
Reportedly, according to the police, the young girl was first drugged and then sexually abused and was left on the beach to die. Goa police was accused of trying to hush-up the case, by dismissing it as a case of drowning. It was only after the mother of the victim, a British national, insisted on a second autopsy, which found that the girl was drugged by alcohol and cocaine and then sexually assaulted, the police registered the case as culpable homicide.
Father and Son duo of Placido Carvalho and Samson D’Souza were charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Father was accused of drugging her and son of sexually assaulting the teenager.
Recalling her struggle to get an FIR, the mother of the victim, was reported to have said “It took a huge effort for me to get even a police complaint registered.”
CBI, which took over the case upon the insistence of the family of the victim, submitted its charge sheet, accusing Samson of assault and Placido of providing narcotics to her.
After over 8 long years, Fiona Mackeown, only to be present in the Goa Children’s Court for the final verdict, travelled all the way from Devon in UK. She was reportedly devastated by the judgement. Goa Children’s Court Judge Vandana Tendulkar had acquitted both the father and son duo, of Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho, of all charges.
Reportedly, Goa Chief Minister had termed judgement “unfortunate” and “heart breaking”. According to him “such an outcome of the case needs to be challenged in the higher court”.
Fiona Mackeown feels CBI ditched her. High hopes she had, when CBI took over the case from Goa police, were dashed. “Either they are incompetent or corrupt” adding “I don’t believe they are incompetent” reportedly Fiona had remarked, indicating the corruption angle.
Clearly Goa police and CBI have lot to answer for the unfortunate killing of the teenager and that nobody has been convicted, despite CBI charge sheet to the contrary. They have clearly botched up the case. After 8 long years it is very sad, both investigative agency and the judiciary have failed to give justice to the mother of the young teenager. It was not merely justice delayed but also justice denied.
No wonder, killers and rapists are getting bolder to continue their criminal acts on helpless women. It was clearly in insincere attempt to fix the culprits, influenced by all concerned -the drug mafia, the police and of course the judiciary- to derail the wheels of justice.
TAMIL NADU: Speaking at a function in Chennai, Chief Justice of India had dismissed the Union Law Ministry’s statement that “shortage of judges is not the sole reason for increasing pendency of cases”.
Report “Judges’ work exemplary, pile up due to high litigation: CJI”, attributing to CJI T.S. Thakur, when he had praised his fraternity “Performance of judges in India is exemplary, is very commendable”.
With due respect to the Chief Justice of India, the observation by the Union Law Ministry is eminently tenable. It is an accepted fact, that India is not a model state in any respect. Our problems are myriad and our politicians can be funny and grossly unaccounted. However, it is nobody’s case that other sectors of our system are blemishless. The legislature, represented by politicians, Executive represented by the bureaucracy, ministries and police, and Judiciary represented by the legal fraternity of both judges and lawyers, are all contributors to the national mess.
The national mess includes even the pendency of cases in all levels of courts across the country. The CJI cannot escape the accountability of judges and lawyers in the mostly avoidable procrastination of the legal processes in the country. All of us are privy to the adjournment disease the courts suffer from, so also the problem of short duration each judge spends in the court and unannounced leave and absenteeism among judicial officers in different forums of dispensing justice.
Thus, while, it is true that the increase in number of judges in every court of the land shall certainly go a long way in expediting pending cases, other issues involving all stake holders are also need to be seriously looked into for a better picture of dispensation of justice in the country. Hope all concerned take the call, when called upon to do so.
WORLD: There are 3 groups of people in the world.
Those who make things happen- a small one.
Those who see things happen- a larger group.
Then there are those who are simply wondering without the idea of what is happening- the largest number.
The reaction of Pakistan, after being militarily snubbed by Indian force is in the last group. They are just wondering how it all happened and are groping for sensible response.
For far too long, Pakistani leadership thought that they will get away with their Gen Zia Ul Haq’s state policy of causing ‘thousand cuts’ to India. What India did on 29th Sept. early morning was on an invitation from Pakistan. “Aa bail Mujhe maar, agar thum mein dum hai tho’.
The Uri attack, was the ultimate proverbial last straw that forced the hand of India under Modi’s leadership. India under Modi gave probably the longest rope to Pakistan- invite to attend the swearing-in-ceremony, meet at Ufa in July 2015, unscheduled stopover at Lahore to greet Pak PM Shariff on his birthday, were all paid back vide Gurdaspur strike, attack on Pathankot airbase, and now Uri- the cup of bitterness spilled over on 18th Sept at Uri, with the killing of 19 soldiers. While everybody condemned the Pak attack, all asked for restraint. But how long!
29th Sept had to happen, for Pakistan to realize rather painfully, that what you do to India can come back with compound interest. For once Pakistan was completely at loss of words, except telling stories to the world and trying to prove India ‘a liar’.
Domestically, this strike by Indian forces will certainly rub on the ‘strong leader’ image of Modi. After Lal Bahadur Shastri, Modi is the only Prime Minister, who was upfront in dealing with the chicanery of Pakistan. Hope BJP does not over-play this to take political advantage. Of course they are entitled to bask in the glory of their leader to an extent, but not over do it. Also those, who spoke unduly critically of the man, will be restrained from now on.
So, Bob Dylan continues to make news. First, it was the announcement by the Swedish Nobel Committee that they have selected to confer on him with this year’s Nobel Prize for literature. Suddenly Bob was the global cynosure. It was, for the first time that a musician has been conferred with Nobel recognition of greatness. Jon Pareles asks, of the Nobel Committee, in The New York Times “what took them so long?”. Arguing that he is one of the very few who wrote his own song and composed the music. And he has been around for over 50 years. Indeed, the Nobel Committee was rather late in recognizing the maestro.
Now comes, another news, from Stockholm. A member of the Swedish Academy that awarded the Nobel 2016 to Bob Dylan, Per Wartberg has called Bob “impolite and arrogant”. Ever since the announcement of the award and its communication to the singer, Bob had remained incommunicado with the Swedish Academy. So, is Bob Dylan spiritually a great soul that he does not get carried away by, even the Nobel, worlds ultimate recognition of excellence? Or is it his ego that goads him into silence to such a vibrant news that spurred Jon Pareles to ask, ‘why they took so long, when his greatness and uniqueness was established long ago?’
Either way, it makes Bob Dylan, very exclusive, one of a kind, Poet Singer that the literary world has produced.
Yes, for the sake of elementary courtesy, he must respond to the Swedish Academy and go to Stockholm to receive the award in person on the 10th Dec. 2016. Hope he rises to the occasion to show his greatness.
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