EDITOR'S COLUMN
Friends,
So, we are into the new financial year, beginning 1st April, the all fools day. Unlike other years, we have finished with the discussion on annual budget last month itself. Budget proposals can become operative from this month onward. There is lot to look forward to, in the month and the year ahead.
Month that has passed has been a bit of roller coaster with election results causing bit of upheavals among political parties. We are all aware that most political parties are ganged up against the leader of the ruling combine at the centre. When the results started pouring in, it was a minor tsunami. Most political parties were swept off by the gushing BJP. Details are not needed to be repeated here. How this new political arithmetic is going to unravel itself has to be seen.
Month-in-Perspective has been as usual. Many were left uncovered for want of space.
The bizarre issue of former Madras High Court judge Justice Chinnaswamy Swaminathan Karnan is taking weird dimension. As, a writer puts it “It’s a dubious first in judicial history". In recent times, he occupied the print media, often to be ignored, for the funny dimension of the case. The contempt notice served on him, at his present chamber in Calcutta High Court by the Apex Court is the first of such instances of any judge facing a contempt case. The notice was served by a seven-member bench headed by the Chief Justice J.S. Khehar. Justice Karnan appears to be suffering from some strange kind of caste related negative obsession. Way back in 2011, he wrote to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes complaining of harassment and victimization by other judges because he was Dalit. He also alleged that others were trying to belittle him, by giving silly examples like ‘a judges foot touched him,’ because ‘he was sitting cross legged at a social function.’ There were controversies surrounding his judgements too. When he was transferred to Calcutta High Court in Feb. 2016, by the Supreme Court, he stayed the order and remarked “I am ashamed to have been born in India. I want to move to a country without caste system.” Yes as he rightly admitted to “loss of mental balance”, while apologizing to Apex Court his refusal to go to Culcutta High Court. On 31st March he has been asked to be present in the Supreme Court. With this latest development will Jusctiec Karnan will behave?, is the question staring at the apex court.
Another news of interest is Irom Sharmila losing the election in Manipur by shockingly getting only 90 votes. Irom became an icon when she fasted for some 16 long years for the repeal of AFSPA from Manipur. She suffered the denial of food for so long for the sake of her Manipur people. But when it came to voting, 90 votes are cruelly heart breaking. It was indeed the unkindest cut of all. She wanted to enter politics for the sake of her people. AFSPA has been a bone of contention for a very long time. Picture of nude Manipuri women protesting had invited global attention, similarly the fasting by Irom. But apparently Manipur people did not take it kindly for giving up fasting and entering politics. It is very sad that people in Manipur did not support Irom. Like a writer puts it “To change the system, some pick-up gun. Some choose the ballot. Sharmila picked up the latter and the electorates shot her in the head”. That was to put it succinctly.
Attacks on Dalits have been an ongoing agenda of a section of our society for as long as memory goes. However, a diabolic murder of a family in Khairlanji, in Bhadara Distt of Maharashtra in 2006 was one of the most barbaric by any standard. The lone survivor Bhaiyalal Bhotmange recently passed away. Although some of the accused have been given life sentence, a final word is still awaited for Supreme Court to decide. We have taken up this inhuman part of our contemporary history under Focus for the issue to come alive into the public memory to tell how bad we Indians are, at least some of us. Do come back with your thoughts on the issue.
So, we are into the new financial year, beginning 1st April, the all fools day. Unlike other years, we have finished with the discussion on annual budget last month itself. Budget proposals can become operative from this month onward. There is lot to look forward to, in the month and the year ahead.
Month that has passed has been a bit of roller coaster with election results causing bit of upheavals among political parties. We are all aware that most political parties are ganged up against the leader of the ruling combine at the centre. When the results started pouring in, it was a minor tsunami. Most political parties were swept off by the gushing BJP. Details are not needed to be repeated here. How this new political arithmetic is going to unravel itself has to be seen.
Month-in-Perspective has been as usual. Many were left uncovered for want of space.
The bizarre issue of former Madras High Court judge Justice Chinnaswamy Swaminathan Karnan is taking weird dimension. As, a writer puts it “It’s a dubious first in judicial history". In recent times, he occupied the print media, often to be ignored, for the funny dimension of the case. The contempt notice served on him, at his present chamber in Calcutta High Court by the Apex Court is the first of such instances of any judge facing a contempt case. The notice was served by a seven-member bench headed by the Chief Justice J.S. Khehar. Justice Karnan appears to be suffering from some strange kind of caste related negative obsession. Way back in 2011, he wrote to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes complaining of harassment and victimization by other judges because he was Dalit. He also alleged that others were trying to belittle him, by giving silly examples like ‘a judges foot touched him,’ because ‘he was sitting cross legged at a social function.’ There were controversies surrounding his judgements too. When he was transferred to Calcutta High Court in Feb. 2016, by the Supreme Court, he stayed the order and remarked “I am ashamed to have been born in India. I want to move to a country without caste system.” Yes as he rightly admitted to “loss of mental balance”, while apologizing to Apex Court his refusal to go to Culcutta High Court. On 31st March he has been asked to be present in the Supreme Court. With this latest development will Jusctiec Karnan will behave?, is the question staring at the apex court.
Another news of interest is Irom Sharmila losing the election in Manipur by shockingly getting only 90 votes. Irom became an icon when she fasted for some 16 long years for the repeal of AFSPA from Manipur. She suffered the denial of food for so long for the sake of her Manipur people. But when it came to voting, 90 votes are cruelly heart breaking. It was indeed the unkindest cut of all. She wanted to enter politics for the sake of her people. AFSPA has been a bone of contention for a very long time. Picture of nude Manipuri women protesting had invited global attention, similarly the fasting by Irom. But apparently Manipur people did not take it kindly for giving up fasting and entering politics. It is very sad that people in Manipur did not support Irom. Like a writer puts it “To change the system, some pick-up gun. Some choose the ballot. Sharmila picked up the latter and the electorates shot her in the head”. That was to put it succinctly.
Attacks on Dalits have been an ongoing agenda of a section of our society for as long as memory goes. However, a diabolic murder of a family in Khairlanji, in Bhadara Distt of Maharashtra in 2006 was one of the most barbaric by any standard. The lone survivor Bhaiyalal Bhotmange recently passed away. Although some of the accused have been given life sentence, a final word is still awaited for Supreme Court to decide. We have taken up this inhuman part of our contemporary history under Focus for the issue to come alive into the public memory to tell how bad we Indians are, at least some of us. Do come back with your thoughts on the issue.
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