Not Many Feel So Consciously About Leaving A Glorious Legacy For Future Generations In Legal Landscape !!
From Left To Right On Dais: Devendra Kumar Tiwari, Advocate & Author; B.N. Singh, Advocate, and Mr. Yogendra Jaiswal, Advocate.
Normally, I hate to be part of any election campaigning. That’s the reason why I am always at a safe distance from anything remotely associated with election process, no matter what’s the nature of it. That’s because I prefer to be a neutral and an independent observer. It’s something which gets severely affected once you somehow, much against your wishes, get associated with election process related to one particular group or, for that matter, any individual. Keeping my approach in mind, I have maintained a respectable distance from ongoing ferocious campaigning pertaining to Allahabad High Court Bar Association Elections.
Having said that, a deep curiosity drew me towards an election meeting organized in favour of Devendra Kumar Tiwari, whom I recently met during a book-launching ceremony. Devendra Kumar Tiwari besides being an advocate is also a noted author of many specialized books on legal matters. Recently, he penned a book “Lawyer’s Referencer” for wannabe lawyers who wish to attain excellence inside the premises of High Court in an easy-going way! I attended the book-launching ceremony of this book and that’s the time when I first became aware of this author’s heartfelt progressive views! His keynote address delivered on this book-launching event was very moving one! It was not charisma of oratory, but, in reality, it was reflection of deep concerns for betterment of legal world. Precisely that’s the reason why I preferred to be part of the election meeting organized by Devendra Kumar Tiwari even as I was initially pretty reluctant within. I wanted to hear him more and that made me attend the meeting!!
Needless to say, the time I spent there, listening his election speech did not appear to have go down the drain! I noticed that there were many other speakers who also spoke about improving “Bench and Bar” relations in aftermath of elections but none sounded so genuine as Devendra Kumar Tiwari, contesting for prestigious post of “Secretary”. Unfortunately, the meeting was devoid of suitable decorum, being marred by lots of disturbances, which made it almost impossible to hear the speech with proper concentration. However, even amid such chaotic atmosphere, some of the speakers spoke very eloquently and, powerfully too, for the cause of lawyers reeling under tyranny of Judges, who are using “contempt proceedings” in mindless manner! It was a great experience to hear them, to notice their genuine sentiments for improvement of happenings inside the Bar.
Pandit Kanhaiya Lal Mishra, Advocate. He commanded huge respect even in courts outside Uttar Pradesh!
What’s so unique about Devendra Tiwari is that he can speak at great length without any written note, yet at no stage he sounds out of tune or less authentic! That shows his genuine involvement with welfare of lawyers. On this occasion, he made important revelations. He was pretty unhappy that owing to fractured mindset of present generation of lawyers, the Bar is on verge of total collapse. It has got limited to vested interests of petty minds. That’s quite alarming since future generations would curse previous generations for leaving such a dark future for them, wherein nothing seemed inspiring! If that remains the case, parents will not prefer to see their child emerge as a lawyer since in their eyes it would be a sheer waste of costly education which they ensured for their child after bearing so much troubles!! That’s why Mr Devendra Tiwari so rightly pointed out that this generation needs to make “choices” in most judicious manner, keeping in mind the interest of future generations. He said that when he or the senior lawyers entered in this profession they had got a stable and strong bar in legacy. Today most of the institutions (like Board of Revenue) are facing identity crisis, having been weakened by corrupt powers in a systematic way. The same corrupt forces are deliberately eroding the influence of High Court, which can only be controlled when we have responsible people in Bar!
He sounded so true that representatives who get selected in aftermath of elections are reflection of thought-process exhibited by the lawyers. Hence, it’s futile to condemn their elected representatives inside the Bar after a certain period! After all, they got elected because of our own “flawed choices”. That’s the reason why we need to be highly conscious while making a choice! Allahabad Bar Association in the past has been associated with legal luminaries of great stature who went on to represent most important constitutional posts of this nation. R. S. Pathak, who belonged to this Bar, served as a Judge at International Court of Justice. Pt. Kanhaiya Lal Misra, belonging to this Bar, commanded huge respect to an extent, that whenever he appeared to argue in courts other than ones prevailing within Uttar Pradesh, the sitting judges used to stand up in admiration! No wonder it’s the responsibility of present generation of lawyers to add new dimensions in the stature of Allahabad Bar Association. That will remain a distant dream, if we keep making bad choices, taking into consideration flimsy aspects!
R. S. Pathak from Allahabad High Court (Second From Left). He served as a Judge at International Court of Justice
B N Singh, a very conscious and experienced lawyer, who spoke on this occasion, in support of candidature of Devendra Kumar Tiwari, referred to extraordinary power vested in young minds of new lawyers. The young lawyers constitute a huge section of lawyers practicing at Allahabad High Court. Unless they make decisions, based on equity, it would not be possible to change the face of Bar. The young lawyers need to sharpen their fighting spirit in a right way, by marginalizing all those elements which misguide and mislead them. A better and a strong Bar Association is need of the hour. The young lawyers will play a pivotal role in ensuring its emergence! Hope these young minds do not act like a drop of lemon juice added into boiling milk! Let’s pray that right people get placed inside chambers of Allahabad Bar Association, who ensure that future generation can boast of illustrious legacy! I need to end this post by praising Shashikant Kuswaha, a promising young Advocate, who worked really hard to ensure that no mess prevailed during the meeting of lawyers! I also need to point out perfect coordination of the event done by Advocate Mr. Yogendra Jaiswal, who also happened to be quite young!
Reference:
The book review can be be read here:
Lawyer’s Referencer: A Prefect Book For The Upcoming Lawyers
Writer of this post i.e. myself (second from left), Arvind K. Pandey, Writer & Advocate, with Devendra Kumar Tiwari, author of the recently launched book.
Pics Credit:
Lawyer’s Referencer: A Prefect Book For The Upcoming Lawyers
Launching Moment Of “Lawyer’s Referencer”: ( From left to right on dais) D K Tiwari, Advocate & Author ; Ashok Mehta, Additional Solicitor General of India; Justice Rajesh Tandon, Chairman, Human Rights Commission, Uttarakhand; Dharam Pal Singh, Criminal Expert , and B B Paul, Expert, Revenue Matters.
Young lawyers are often haunted by so many misapprehensions, when they enter inside the premises of any High Court for first time. The complex relationship between young lawyers and senior lawyers gets added to the woes of fresh, young lawyers arriving at High Court after enrollment at Bar Council. This lack of information regarding the code of conduct and sheer ignorance about rules and regulations governing High Court play a spoilsport with future of young lawyers. That kills their precious moments, which if saved, could have been used in deeper studying of various cases. As a result of that, initial years of any young lawyer is usually a saga of frustration and gloom. He not only runs short of financial resources, but also gets bereft of proper knowledge which ensures greater frustration. I am really happy that Dr. Devendra Kumar Tiwari, a very experienced lawyer at Allahabad High Court, Allahabad, who owns a doctorate degree in law, gave a serious thought to this pertinent issue. His deep concerns for the new lawyers made him pen the book titled ” Lawyer’s Referencer”. It’s a terrific condensation of important details sought by any lawyer who wishes to be familiar with proceedings at High Court.
A Perfect Evening…..
The book launch saw gathering of some high-profile lawyers, who shared their experiences with audience which comprised of eminent legal hawks belonging to Allahabad. Of course, Devendra Kumar Tiwari, being the host and author of the recently launched book, had a lot to share. I must say that despite being a very influential lawyer, he maintained a very low profile. He exhibited a humility, which is rarely noticed in a lawyer who attains a high position at High Court! His initial days of academic career was marred by unspeakable problems and since he belonged to rural world, the world dominated by elites offered a little solace! However, he carved a niche for himself largely because of his grit and determination. He penned many law books in Hindi, which got awarded by Indian government. Medical Jurisprudence & Toxicology and Law of Pleadings, are two such prominent books written by him. In his welcome note, he stated it categorically that lawyers who made significant contributions at Allahabad High Court were the ones who belonged to rural world. It’s these lawyers, who ensured justice to litigants at low cost!
However, what hurt him most, was abusive behaviour targeted at young lawyers. The young lawyers are being constantly harassed by senior lawyers and judges for want of required knowledge. Everybody expects these young lawyers to be efficient during the legal proceedings, but, at the same time, nobody ensures that they can have access to details that matter. That’s why he feels that his book, which has necessary “practical” tips besides terminologies, regularly used in High Court, would come in handy for new legal practitioner!
Advocate Devendra Kumar Tiwari Addressing The Audience.
Ashok Mehta, Additional Solicitor General of India, in his lecture delivered on this occasion as a special guest, lambasted the Bar Council for playing with the future of young lawyers by keeping them in dark about necessary details!! His insightful lecture thrilled the listeners to a great extent. He is wonderful orator and so he used this opportunity to express his heartfelt sentiments. He was shocked that the task of creating awareness among young lawyers was being done by lawyers like Devendra Kumar Tiwari, which is primarily the task of Bar Coucil of India. He wished to know what is preventing Bar Council to use its financial resources to sensitize fresh lawyers? He was also pretty unhappy about lack of quality books in Hindi and what dismayed him was that even after so many years of Independence “the spirit of Macaulay” haunted High Courts. All the proceedings of High Court are conducted in English, which ensures huge problem for both lawyers and litigants. Anyway, he felt that juniors of Allahabad High Court are the best ones in Indian landscape. He ensured them a great future, provided they worked hard and, above all, if lady luck favoured them at right turns of life!!
Additional Solicitor General of India, Ashok Mehta, addressing the participants!
Justice Rajesh Tandon, Chairman, Human Rights Commission, Uttarakhand, who attended the event as a Chief Guest, spoke at length about utility of this book. He felt that lack of knowledge of frequently used terminologies at High Court creates an embarrassing situation. It’s something which could be avoided. In his opinion, this book is not only useful for young lawyers but it’s also serves a huge purpose for senior lawyers. Dharampal Singh, noted criminal lawyer, who shared the dais as a distinguished guest, felt that this tussle between young lawyers and senior lawyers would always exist. In reality, no senior lawyer is ever interested in making a junior lawyer pretty informed. However, a senior lawyer like him, is always ready to provide help by encouraging all the initiatives aimed at brightening the future of young lawyers. B B Paul, expert in revenue matters at Board of Revenue, who attended the glittering evening as one of the special guests, also spoke about documentation about proceedings,related to High Court, which in his eyes would make the legal affairs bearable for fresh entrants at High Court.
Writer of this post i.e. myself, Arvind K. Pandey, Writer & Advocate, with Devendra Kumar Tiwari, author of the recently launched book.
I would like to highlight some interesting aspects about this book. For instance, this book speaks about “plea bargaining” . This is a very important portion of Criminal proceeding wherein there is provision of out of the court settlement of criminal affairs provided the punishment does not exceed beyond seven years. The senior lawyers expressed grave concern about little usage of this provision which if frequently applied would lessen the burden on trial courts. In fact, criminal experts were of the opinion that courts should first ensure that whether or not there is scope of “plea bargaining” at the start of trial. They should come to proceed in usual way only when there is no scope! In rent and control cases, often lawyers, make a grave blunder of not mentioning about “mesne profit” while filing suits and as a result of this blunder they cannot avail necessary benefit. ” Mesene profits” are the profits which a person in wrongful possession of the property actually recovered or might with ordinary diligence have received therefrom together with interest on such profits excluding the profits due to improvement made by the person in wrongful possession. Interestingly, the book refers to usage of simple term “status quo” which is often wrongly used! In case of re-gaining the possession, the aggrieved party, who has been deprived of the possession, should ask for “anti-status quo” instead of seeking “status quo”!!
Myself with Ashok Mehta, Additional Solicitor General of India.
It was a perfect star-studded evening for both young lawyers and senior lawyers at the conference hall of popular big hotel at Allahabad. Luckily, it was not confined to merry-making! On the contrary, the evening ensured that lawyers further enriched their legal knowledge by imbibing rich legal insights shared by expert lawyers present on this occasion including Shailendra Awasthi, Advocate & Author, and Uma Sharnkar Tiwari, prominent Advocate at District Court, Allahabad. I need to refer to my friend, Shashikant Kushwaha, Advocate, Allahabad High Court, Allahabad, who played an instrumental role in coordinating the event quite successfully. He has also written law books meant for competitive students. In fact, he has been awarded by Allahabad Bar Association for promoting Hindi.
Lawyer’s Referencer: A Good Book For Legal Hawks!
Some More Images:
Dharam Pal Singh, Criminal Law Expert.
My one of the best friends since college days. Too happy to see his progress!!
Remembering S M A Kazmi: My Mentor In The Field Of Law ( A Tribute )
Mr. S.M.A. Kazmi: A Perfect Lawyer
“The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave,
Awaits alike the inevitable hour.
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.”
( Thomas Gray In ‘Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard’ )
When I was in school days these lines by poet Thomas Gray left an indelible impression on my mind’s landscape. I always wondered about its real purport. Now very recently when I heard about the tragic death of Mr. S.M.A. Kazmi, senior lawyer, Allahabad High Court, in a fatal road accident it not only left me in a state of deep shock but also made me realize the true purport of lines penned by Gray. In this world the only reality is death! Rest is illusion which looks real enough to keep humans trapped in life’s drama!
I met S M A Kazmi very shortly after Allahabad University granted me a law degree in year 2002. Although I was not pretty interested in getting enrolled as a lawyer at Allahabad High Court in prime of my life, I had to give way to destiny’s will of becoming part of Allahabad High Court- a High Court having a glorious legacy of delivering path-breaking judgements on par with global standards! I was fortunate that one of my childhood friends, Sampanna Kumar Srivastava, also a lawyer, and in those days a student leader associated with Communist Party, introduced me to Mr Kazmi in his chamber. I had by then carved a niche for myself in the world of media as a freelancer. Mr. Kazmi was a lawyer with a difference. He was a good orator besides being a good writer who enjoyed organizing literary gatherings. So he was quite happy in finding someone like me having similar mental orientations akin to his literary bent of mind.
In very short span of time I became one of his favourite juniors. I loved his penchant for perfectionism. His aggressive mannerism really threatened others but on me it had little impact. Like him I believed in working hard and, therefore, rarely felt short of his expectations. And that did not provide enough space to Mr. Kazmi to direct his anger towards me. He always believed that if one wishes to emerge as a good lawyer at High Court level then one must be ready to read enough besides being good at interpretation! It’s really saddening that emerging lawyers are merely interested in attaining riches than attaining right skills! As a result of that most of the lawyers fail to attain great heights in real sense!
That was not the case with Mr. Kazmi. He came from a teacher’s family with no previous legal history in his family. However, his legal journey which began in early 80s saw all glorious episodes which any lawyer wishes in his/her career. In prime of his age he became Advocate General of Uttar Pradesh, and later became politically active which yielded him ministerial birth. Every successful person has many adversaries in form of friends! He too had many such friends who said good words in his front but despised him at his back being always loaded with set of conspiracies. He warned me that I should not waste my energy in forming counter-strategies to negate such vicious network! The best way to defeat negative souls in your profession is to keep doing exceptional work. That sort of attitude demoralizes negative souls! At this point I come to remember words of Indira Gandhi that there are many who wish to take credit in aftermath of any successful endeavour, but competition is less when it comes to do some original work!
Mr. S.M.A Kazmi: Attained Glorious Heights in Advocacy Very Soon!
Anyway, relationship between juniors and seniors has plummeted to all-time low. However, the juniors associated with Mr. Kazmi had better experiences and not bitter experiences. The ones who worked hard always managed to strike a favourable chord with both his personal and professional life. He did not believe in carrying aura of bossism but ensured that his leniency does not get misused. I must admit that he helped me financially besides making me in tune with various shades of advocacy. His chamber was not a dull place! Besides dealing with complex cases, the young lawyers also got introduced with lifestyle mired in royalty. The weekends were reserved for having a good time at some famous restaurant. He believed in spending money with people around instead of using the money to ensure petty personal gains. That’s why he was sincerely involved with several charitable trusts operating in Allahabad.
He was not happy with my decision to distance from legal profession for he was quite satisfied with my progress. He saw in me the rare attributes which had now gone missing. That’s why he lamented that people who should be really part of legal institutions are the ones engaged in different profession and the ones who are not supposed to be lawyers are the ones dominating the show at various legal institutions! Legal profession is now in grip of mediocre minds! He understood my temperament well, and, therefore, did not compel me to remain engaged in active advocacy. However, I did not wish to hurt his sentiments and, therefore, to honour his sentiments I remained part of Allahabad High Court via my legal reporting! I assured him that great values I intercepted at his chamber would always stay with me for rest of the life.
Indeed, right now when his death has left me in deep pain, side-by-side there exists a deep sense of satisfaction encircled by great mental peace within! I added a new dimensions in the values I inherited at his chamber. Happily, my friends never forgot that I was one of the juniors of Mr Kazmi! Their remembrance of my association with Mr Kazmi keeps me in right state of mind, enabling me to pursue different legal tasks with greater concentration and greater degree of perfection. Mr Kazmi believed that hard work never goes in vain and that has ensured I remain above short cuts to attain success! Yes, he had many flaw in his personality, like any soul trapped in earthly life, but the greater truth is that they took a backseat when contrasted against his noble virtues! His soul might have ascended to higher world, but for mine eyes he would always remain as real as any living person! May his soul rest in peace!
Alllahabad High Court: A Glorious Legacy!
Pic Credit:
क्या यही प्यार है?
तेज़ाब के हमले की शिकार लक्ष्मी: हौसला जिन्दा है!
प्रेम के शुद्ध स्वरूप को आज के युग में वर्णन करना या उसकी तलाश करना बेमानी सा लगता है। प्रेम कहानियो के नाम पर आज हम को दिल दहला देने वाली दास्ताने मिलती है। जहा प्रेम अपने अगले चरण तक पहुचता है मसलन शादी तक वहा भी वो यथार्थ के कडुवे सागर में विलीन हो जाता है। प्रेम या तो रुपहले परदे पे भला लगता है या तो मुंगेरीलाल की तरह मन के लैंडस्केप पर हसींन लगता है। इसके परे प्रेम एक वीभत्स अफ़साना सा है। जहा तथाकथित प्रेम मिला वहा भी तमाशा हुआ और जहा नहीं मिला वहा भी जिंदगानिया बर्बाद हुई। बहुत साल पहले मुंबई स्टेशन पर एक लड़की को ट्रैन से उतरते ही उसके प्रेमी ने चाक़ू घोप कर हत्या कर दी। इधर बीच कई खतरनाक ट्रेंड उभरे है प्रेमिका को सबक सिखाने के और उनमे से एक है तेज़ाब फ़ेंक देने का। पता नहीं प्रेम का ये कौन सा सिद्धांत है कि प्रेमिका को प्रेम के नाम पे दिल दहला देने वाले तरीको से प्रताड़ित किया जाए !!
भारतीय सरकार ने एक कठोर कदम उठाते हुए इंडियन पेनल कोड में 326 A & 326 B दो नए प्रावधानों को जोड़ा जिसके तहत १० साल या उससे ऊपर तक के सजा की व्यवस्था है। ऐसे हादसों के शिकार लोगो को दो लाख रुपये तक के मुआवज़े का प्रावधान किया जो कि अपर्याप्त सा लगता है। ऐसी घटनाएं ना किसी वर्ग विशेष तक सीमित है और ना ही ये किसी एक देश का मामला है। पाकिस्तान में एक संभ्रांत वर्ग (एलीट क्लास) से ताल्लुक रखने वाली एक महिला को उसके राजनीतिज्ञ पति ने तेज़ाब से इसलिए जला दिया क्योकि उसने तलाक माँगने की जुर्रत की। अब एक ही तरीका बचता है और वो है कि इनसे जुड़े कानूनों का सख्ती से पालन किया जाए, मुआवज़े की राशि बढ़ाई जाए और उसे पेंशन के समान किया जाए ताकि मेडिकल खर्च आसानी से वहन हो सके और ऐसे हादसों के शिकार लोगो को एक बेहतर स्पेस मिले जीवन जीने के लिए।
ये एक मार्मिक कविता पढ़ने को मिली जो पर्याप्त है ये बताने को कि ऐसे हादसों के शिकार लोगो पर क्या गुजरती है ! ये कविता मुझे सोशल मीडिया पे पहले पहल धीरेन्द्र पाण्डेय के मार्फ़त पढ़ने को मिली लेकिन यही कविता एसिड हमलो के प्रति जागरूकता प्रदान करने हेतु बनायी गयी फेसबुक पेज पर भी प्रमुखता से पढ़ने को मिली।
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चलो, फेंक दिया
सो फेंक दिया….
अब कसूर भी बता दो मेरा
तुम्हारा इजहार था
मेरा इन्कार था
बस इतनी सी बात पर
फूंक दिया तुमने
चेहरा मेरा….
गलती शायद मेरी थी
प्यार तुम्हारा देख न सकी
इतना पाक प्यार था
कि उसको मैं समझ ना सकी….
अब अपनी गलती मानती हूँ
क्या अब तुम … अपनाओगे मुझको?
क्या अब अपना … बनाओगे मुझको?
क्या अब … सहलाओगे मेरे चहरे को?
जिन पर अब फफोले हैं
मेरी आंखों में आंखें डालकर देखोगे?
जो अब अन्दर धस चुकी हैं
जिनकी पलकें सारी जल चुकी हैं
चलाओगे अपनी उंगलियाँ मेरे गालों पर?
जिन पर पड़े छालों से अब पानी निकलता है
हाँ, शायद तुम कर लोगे….
तुम्हारा प्यार तो सच्चा है ना?
अच्छा! एक बात तो बताओ
ये ख्याल ‘तेजाब’ का कहाँ से आया?
क्या किसी ने तुम्हें बताया?
या जेहन में तुम्हारे खुद ही आया?
अब कैसा महसूस करते हो तुम मुझे जलाकर?
गौरान्वित..???
या पहले से ज्यादा
और भी मर्दाना…???
तुम्हें पता है
सिर्फ मेरा चेहरा जला है
जिस्म अभी पूरा बाकी है
एक सलाह दूँ!
एक तेजाब का तालाब बनवाओ
फिर इसमें मुझसे छलाँग लगवाओ
जब पूरी जल जाऊँगी मैं
फिर शायद तुम्हारा प्यार मुझमें
और गहरा और सच्चा होगा….
एक दुआ है….
अगले जन्म में
मैं तुम्हारी बेटी बनूँ
और मुझे तुम जैसा
आशिक फिर मिले
शायद तुम फिर समझ पाओगे
तुम्हारी इस हरकत से
मुझे और मेरे परिवार को
कितना दर्द सहना पड़ा है।
तुमने मेरा पूरा जीवन
बर्बाद कर दिया है।
Source Attributed To Poem: The Facebook Page Named “Stop Acid Attacks” Informs That This Poem Is Outburst Of Girl Who Became Victim Of Acid Attack!
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शरीर ही जलता है! रूह बच जाती है!!
Reference:
Law Commission India On Acid Attacks
Laws Related To Acid Attack In India
Pics Credit:
The Politics Of Rape In India
Mulayam Singh Yadav: Sometimes even wrong people say right things!
In early 80s one of the popular Hindi flicks revolved around a sensational theme wherein a girl accused a boy of attempting to rape her when she got caught during the seduction stage. As a result of that false accusation, the boy became victim of deep psychological disorder for lifelong. Similarly, a blockbuster Hindi movie released in early 90s shows the protagonist teaching a fitting lesson to her ladylove, who tries to take a revenge by feigning rape! The protagonist makes her very clear that a lady should not stoop down at this level wherein a sexual offence becomes a weapon to settle personal grudges. Not a long back ago the Supreme Court refused to grant relief to a girl who had feigned rape, which led to trial of two innocent youths. They had to ‘suffer the ignominy’ of being involved in such a serious offence!
The Supreme Court in his verdict, without mincing words, stated that ‘evil of perjury’ has assumed alarming proportions and, therefore, girl deserves no sympathy for maliciously setting the law in motion. “It was a settled position in law that so far as sexual offences are concerned, sanctity is attached to a victim’s statement and that the evidence of victim alone is sufficient for the purpose of conviction if it is found to be reliable, cogent and credible.” It’s ludicrous that an absurd hue and cry is being made over Mulayam Singh Yadav’s alleged rape remarks. Before entering into interpretation of his remarks, it would not be offensive to state that there are few takers, including myself, of type of caste-ridden politics played by Mulyam Singh Yadav, Lalu Yadav and Mayawati. They are icons of regressive tendencies in Indian politics, who never allowed their followers to truly embrace progressive ideals. That’s the reason why Uttar Pradesh is still struggling hard to emerge as a developed state!
One needs to be sufficiently cautious while interpreting remarks of Mulyam Singh Yadav. True, his statement “boys…make mistakes” need to be severely condemned as it trivializes the gravity of a serious offence like rape. However, that’s not the only remark he made. One of the flaws committed by Indian and foreign journalists is that they tend to rely more on sensationalism and as a result of that they misquote and misinterpret serious remarks. That’s not only against the spirit of ethics based journalism but such tendencies also lead to volatile situation in various circles of society. I am sure that an ace politician like Mulyam Singh Yadav would have got his intent right when he pointed out a disturbing trend in Indian society, wherein sexual offences have become a tool to serve vested interests.
If law makers are truly interested in equity based legal system then their prime task should be to make laws gender neutral!
The mainstream media eager to cash-in-on the controversial remark failed to highlight the other portion of his speech wherein he stated that “those filing false reports will also be taken to task” so as to stop the misuse of anti-rape law. The mainstream media, controlled by the feminist forces, very shrewdly suppressed this part of the alleged speech. He was demanding a change in anti-rape law not because “boys make mistake” but because its misuse has attained alarming proportions: “Boys and girls fall in love but due to differences they fall apart later on. When their friendship ends, the girl complains she has been raped.” This statement needs to be interpreted in light of scenario prevailing in present day Indian society marred by perverse tendencies even if one has no place for brand of politics played by likes of Mulayam and Mayawati! This time a wrong person has said a right thing. Why are we hell bent to ignore a harsh reality of present age wherein women are not hesitant to put at stake their own dignity if that suits their interests?
Interestingly, cinema is said to be the mirror of society. The filmmakers were far ahead unlike the lawmakers, having their mindset caught in time-warp, in anticipating the disturbing changes in approach of modern Indian women. Unlike the lawmakers who remained glued to perception of “abla nari” (a woman is too innocent and weak to commit any wrong), the filmmakers were bold enough to depict newer trends emerging among women fraternity (refer to movies like Undertrial, Aitraaz, Corporate and etc.). It’s a very recent phenomenon that Supreme Court has taken cognizance of misuse of dowry laws besides being worried about growing trend of perjury cases while dealing with sexual offences. However, it’s quite ironical and travesty of present day grim tendencies that new anti-rape law has no place for gender-neutral provisions. That’s quite shocking. That means law still believes that only men could be perpetrators! How long are the lawmakers going to behave like ostriches having their heads buried in sand?
Needless to state that nobody is suggesting, or rather no one wants that people guilty of sexual offences of serious types should remain above stringent punishment. However, at the same time, it’s also pertinent that fair sex involved in unfair practise of misusing laws should not be allowed to get off scot free. At the same time if law makers are truly interested in equity based legal system then their prime task should be to make laws gender neutral. What’s the point in nurturing illusions of medieval ages? They need to take clue from filmmakers, who are at least honest enough to portray real face of Indian society as it is (even if they do so to ensure flow of cash)! And the journalistic circle should better restrain themselves from viewing everything from political angle. That would augur well for the welfare of Indian society. The media should be more governed by truth than by falsehood, confusion, and twisted truth sponsored by the corrupt feminist forces! It’s really pathetic that biased mainstream media is averse to anything remotely serving the cause of men and is quick to nasty interpretations of well-meaning sentiments. And it’s even more sadder to notice that even social media remained concentrated on personal attacks rather than framing a more logical perspective!
Justice Dhingra: New Anti-rape law could be misused!
References:
The Times of India
New York Daily News
Supreme Court On Misuse of Rape Law
Pics Credit:
Is Aadhaar (Unique Identification Number) Too Dangerous?
Aadhaar: A Gate To Disaster?
The Aadhaar project started with great fanfare, but it’s now on the verge of meeting an untimely death. It became the converging point of great expectations, to an extent that it was hailed as image of “new and modern India”. That’s why it created great chaos among middle classes, which like always, showed vain excitement to have it by hook or by crook, bothering least about the pros and cons of owning unique identity (UID). This project, bearing close resemblance to similar scheme in United Kingdom, was mired in contradictions right from the beginning. On the top of it, continuous conflicting statements from government, regarding its utility, kept the average mass guessing about its actual worth.
It needs to be informed that several experts in the West have already given enough signals that such project of this type having sensitive data based on biometrics could be used in a wrong way. In fact, they could be used to eliminate and target a large community not serving the interest of people in power. However, in countries like India, where we know how government agencies function, it’s always a great possibility that data could be misused, even if there is no such threat of this magnitude as apprehended by experts in West. It would be interesting to know that similar project in United Kingdom met tough resistance on part of British citizens for many years, which left British government with no other option other than to quash it. A report prepared by London School of Economics made mockery of tall claims made by the government about its significance and it revealed that “biometrics was not a reliable method of de-duplication.”
However, neither the government nor Nandan Nilekani made Indian citizens aware of such serious flaws inherent in this project. On the contrary, it created tension by giving the impression that not owning it meant losing benefits and subsidies involved in various government run schemes. Ironically, just visit any camp where Aadhaar cards are being prepared and one would be taken aback by the mess which prevails there. It’s hard to believe that government has enough will power (forget about enough infrastructure) to keep the data safe! I am sure ones whose data get stored either in wrong way or with wrong sorts of details would definitely face huge issues in coming days. Even at infrastructure level, the picture that emerges is quite threatening since its budget has increased phenomenally from nearly 32 billion rupees to over 88 billion rupees for coming phases.
That’s why Supreme Court’s judgement came as a whiff of fresh air. It directed the government not to make it mandatory for Indian citizens, and that it could not be a ground to deny services introduced by government. Above all, it made it clear that details collected by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) would not be shared by it with any other government agency without prior permission of the concerned individual. At this point, it would not be out of place to refer to Social Security Number (SSN) used in USA, which does not compromises with right to privacy. The most shocking thing is that despite strict provisions there to stop identity theft such cases keep happening there leading to huge revenue loss. Now imagine the state of affairs in India where rules can be easily manipulated to benefit the vested interests! Who would guarantee that data protection and privacy would always remain a top priority in India?
The Supreme Court made this observations in PIL filed by retired Karnataka High Court judge Justice KS Puttaswamy and Maj Gen (retd) SG Vombatkere which dealt with constitutional validity of Aadhaar. As per their counsel even if there was any statute to provide validity to this project, it would still be violation of Fundamental Rights under Articles 14 (right to equality) and 21 (right to life and liberty) of the Constitution. The project facilitating surveillance of individuals was a direct assault on the dignity of any individual. The main arguments rested upon these concerns: “…the (Aadhaar) project is also ultra vires because there is no statutory guidance (a) on who can collect biometric information; (b) on how the information is to be collected; (c) on how the biometric information is to be stored; (d) on how throughout the chain beginning with the acquisition of biometric data to its storage and usage, this data is to be protected; (e) on who can use the data; (f) on when the data can be used.” (As quoted in moneylife)
In fact, Goa case had already made it clear how could biometric data be used against the interests of any individual. In this case UIDAI had challenged a decision of Goa Bench of Bombay High Court. It had asked it to share biometric data with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) so that the case involving gang rape of a seven year old girl in Vasco reached to its logical culmination.
Anyway, the Supreme Court’s decision to not to make it mandatory is enough to make Indian citizens heave a sigh of relief. It’s high time that before government embarks upon sensitive project it needs to take enough measures to ensure its appropriateness, relevance and significance quite well.
How will it keep intact the privacy of an individual in such a huge country devoid of infrastructure?
कांची के शंकराचार्य की रिहाई इस बात को दर्शाती है कि वर्तमान समय में दुष्प्रचार ज्यादा ताकतवर है बजाय सत्य के!
कांची के शंकराचार्य अंततः निर्दोष और निष्पाप होकर उभरे लेकिन इस नौ साल लम्बे ड्रामे की वजह से इस अति प्राचीन हिन्दू मठ पर जो दाग लगे उसको मिटने में कई वर्ष लगेंगे.
इस नए युग के इंडिया यानि “भारत” के अगर हाल के घटनाओ को देखे तो ये आसानी से समझ आ जाएगा कि धर्मनिरपेक्ष सरकारो ने सबसे ज्यादा जुल्म ढाया है हिन्दू संतो पर. ये धर्मनिरपेक्ष सरकारे मुग़लकाल के बाद्शाहो और ब्रिटिश काल के शासको से भी ज्यादा क्रूर रही है हिन्दू धर्मं से जुड़े प्रतीकों को ध्वस्त करने और इनसे जुड़े लोगो को अपमानित करने के मामले में. हिन्दू संतो को निराकरण ही प्रताड़ित किया जा रहा है और इन्हे यौन अपराधो से लेकर देशद्रोह जैसे जघन्य अपराधो में बेवजह घसीटा जा रहा है. बिकी हुई मीडिया इन प्रकरणो का एक पक्ष दिखाती है अपने देश में और देश के बाहर विदेशी अखबारो में. ये आपको अक्सर देखने को मिलेगा कि इस प्रकार के खबरो में ज्यादातर झूठ होता है या अर्धसत्य का सहारा लेकर एक भ्रामक कहानी गाढ़ी जाती है. कोई भी मुख्यधारा का समाचार पत्र तस्वीर के दोनों पहलू दिखाने में दिलचस्पी नहीं रखता.
एक सबसे बड़ी वजह ये है कि ज्यादातर भारतीय मीडिया समूह का कण्ट्रोल विदेशी ताकतो के हाथो में है. सबके विदेशी हित कही ना कही शामिल है तब हम किस तरह से इनसे ये आशा रखे कि ये सच बोलेंगे? ये वही मुख्यधारा के समाचार पत्र है जो साध्वी प्रज्ञा के गिरफ्तारी को तो खूब जोर शोर से दिखाते है लेकिन साध्वी के साथ जेल के अंदर हुए अमानवीय कृत्यो को जो बंदियो के अधिकारो का सरासर उल्लंघन था उसको दिखाने या बताने से साफ़ मुँह मोड़ गए. ये वही मुख्यधारा के समाचार पत्र है जिन्होंने देवयानी प्रकरण में देवयानी का साथ इस तरह से दिया जैसी कि उसने भारत के नाम विदेशो में ऊँचा किया हो, जैसे उसने कोई जुर्म ही नहीं किया हो. वो इसलिए से क्योकि इसका सरकार से सीधा सरोकार है और सिस्टम इसके पक्ष में है लेकिन हर वो आदमी जिसने भी सरकार ये सिस्टम के विपक्ष में कुछ कहा उसे इस तरह की सरकारे या सिस्टम सुनियोजित तरीको से अपराधी घोषित कर देता है.
ये कहने में कोई संकोच नहीं कि आज के युग मे सत्य से ज्यादा असरदार किसी के खिलाफ सुनियोजित तरीके से फैलायी गयी मनगढंत बाते है. समाचार पत्रो का काम होता है सत्य को सामने लाना सही रिपोर्टिंग के जरिये लेकिन हो इसका ठीक उल्टा रहा है: मीडिया आज सबसे बड़ा हथियार बन गयी है झूठ और भ्रम को विस्तार देने हेतु. इसका केवल इतना काम रहा गया है कि हर गलत ताकतो को जो सत्ता में है उनको बचाना, उनको बल देना. एक बाजारू औरत की तरह अपनी निष्ठा को हर बार बदलते रहना मीडिया का एकमात्र धर्मं बन गया है. साधारण शब्दो में ये सत्ता पे आसीन शासको की भाषा बोलता है. कांची के पूज्य जगद्गुरु शंकराचार्य स्वामी जयेन्द्र सरस्वती जी की गिरफ्तारी के प्रकरण के रौशनी में इस प्रकरण को देखे जिन्हे २००४ में बेहद शर्मनाक तरीके से शंकर रमण के हत्या के आरोप में गिरफ्तार कर लिया था. शंकर रमण कांची के एक मंदिर में मैनेजेर थें. उस वक्त के तमिलनाडु के तत्कालीन मुख्यमंत्री जयललिता ने अपने को धर्मनिरपेक्ष साबित करने के लिए और ये जताने के लिए कि कानून से ऊपर कोई नहीं होता इनकी गिरफतारी सुनिश्चित की. कांची के शंकराचार्य के ऊपर “आपराधिक षड्यंत्र, अदालत को गुमराह करने गलत सूचना के जरिये, धन का आदान प्रदान आपराधिक गतिविधि को क्रियांवित करने के लिये” आदि आरोप लगाये गए.
इस एक हज़ार साल से भी ऊपर अति प्राचीन ब्राह्मणो के अत्यंत महत्त्वपूर्ण केंद्र के मुख्य संचालक को इस तरह अपमानजनक तरीके से एक दुर्दांत अपराधी के भांति गिरफ्तार करना और फिर मुख्यधारा के समाचार पत्रो के द्वारा अनर्गल बयानो के आधार पर उनको दोषी करार कर देना अपने आप में मीडिया की सच्चाई बयान कर देता है. ये बता देना आवश्यक रहेगा कि कांची कामकोटि पीठ हिन्दुओ का अति प्राचीन मठ है जिसको हिन्दू समुदाय में दुनिया भर में बेहद श्रद्धा के साथ देखा जाता है. कांची के पूज्य जगद्गुरु शंकराचार्य स्वामी जयेन्द्र सरस्वती जी बहुत सम्मान की दृष्टि से देखे जाते रहे है हिन्दू शास्त्रो के मर्मज्ञ होने के कारण. इन्होने नवी शताब्दी में स्थापित कांची कामकोटि पीठ के गरिमा को नयी ऊंचाई प्रदान की, जिसकी हिन्दू समुदाय में वेटिकन चर्च सरीखी पकड़ है. जयललिता और ब्राह्मण विरोधी नेता डीएमके प्रमुख करूणानिधि के आपसी मतभेदों के चलते इस हिन्दू मठ के माथे पर कालिख लग गयी.
ये बता देना आवश्यक रहेगा कि कांची कामकोटि पीठ हिन्दुओ का अति प्राचीन मठ है जिसको हिन्दू समुदाय में दुनिया भर में बेहद श्रद्धा के साथ देखा जाता है. कांची के पूज्य जगद्गुरु शंकराचार्य स्वामी जयेन्द्र सरस्वती जी बहुत सम्मान की दृष्टि से देखे जाते रहे है हिन्दू शास्त्रो के मर्मज्ञ होने के कारण. इन्होने नवी शताब्दी में स्थापित कांची कामकोटि पीठ के गरिमा को नयी ऊंचाई प्रदान की, जिसकी हिन्दू समुदाय में वेटिकन चर्च सरीखी पकड़ है. जयललिता और ब्राह्मण विरोधी नेता डीएमके प्रमुख करूणानिधि के आपसी मतभेदों के चलते इस हिन्दू मठ के माथे पर कालिख लग गयी.
उस वक्त के प्रमुख समाचार पत्रो ने ये दर्शाया कि पुलिस इस तरह से गिरफ्तार करने का साहस बिना पुख्ता सबूतो के कर ही नहीं सकती. उस वक्त अभियोजन पक्ष के वकील इस बात से पूरी तरह आश्वस्त थे कि शंकराचार्य को दोषी साबित करने के लिए उनके पास पर्याप्त पुख्ता सबूत थें. विवेचना अधिकारी प्रेम कुमार का ये बयान प्रमुखता से छपा कि हमारे पास ठोस साक्ष्य है स्वामी जयेन्द्र सरस्वती के खिलाफ और ये कि शंकर रमण और इनके बीच करीब चार सालो से आपसी मनमुटाव था जिसको सिद्ध करने के लिए पर्याप्त सबूत इकठ्ठा किये जा रहे है.
खैर ईश्वर के यहाँ देर भले हो पर अंधेर नहीं है. सत्य की अंततः विजय हुई जब पांडिचेरी की विशेष अदालत ने सत्ताइस नवंबर २०१३ को उन सभी लोगो को जो शंकर रमण हत्याकांड में आरोपी बनाये गए थें उनको बाइज्जत बरी कर दिया. इसी के साथ नौ साल से हो रहे ड्रामे का पटाक्षेप हो गया. उन पर लगाये गए सभी आरोपो से उन्हें मुक्त कर दिया गया. जितने भी प्रमुख गवाह थें उन्होंने अभियोजन पक्ष के वर्णन को समर्थन देने से इंकार कर दिया। अभियोजन पक्ष के विरोध में करीब ८० से अधिक गवाहो ने अपने बयान दर्ज कराये।
कांची के शंकराचार्य अंततः निर्दोष और निष्पाप होकर उभरे लेकिन इस नौ साल लम्बे ड्रामे की वजह से इस अति प्राचीन हिन्दू मठ पर जो दाग लगे उसको मिटने में कई वर्ष लगेंगे. हिन्दुओ के आस्था और प्रतीक के साथ जो बेहूदा मजाक हुआ उसके निशान कई वर्षो तक संवेदनशील मनो को कटोचते रहेंगे. लेकिन हिन्दू ब्राह्मण के उदार मन को देखिये कि इतना होने के बाद भी किसी के प्रति कोई कटुता नहीं. इस परिपेक्ष्य में शंकराचार्य के वक्तव्य को देखिये जो उन्होंने बरी होने के बाद दिया: ” धर्म की विजय हुई. सत्य की जीत हुई. सब कुछ खत्म हो जाने के बाद अंत में केवल यही बात मायने रखती है. मुझे मेरे गुरु ने सब कुछ सहन करने को कहा है. इसलिए ये कहना उचित नहीं होगा कि हालात मेरे लिए असहनीय थें. हा कुछ दिक्कते जरूर आयी वो भी उस वजह सें कि हम लोग नयी तरह की परिस्थितयो का सामना कर रहे थें. हमने पूर्व में देखा है कि किस तरह आक्रमणकारियों ने हिन्दू मंदिरो पर हमले कर उनको विध्वंस किया। आज जब हम मंदिरो पर पड़े उन हमलो की निशानियाँ देखते है तो हमे वे आक्रमणकारी और उनकी क्रूरता याद आती है. आज जो कुछ भी मठ के साथ हुआ ( मेरे पर जो आरोप लगे) वे बहुतो की नज़र में पूर्व में किये गए आक्रमणकारियों के द्वारा किये गए विध्वंस सरीखे ही है.”
ये बहुत दुःख की बात है कि जैसे ही किसी हिन्दू संत पर कोई आरोप लगते है सारे मुख्यधारा के मीडिया समूह उस संत को बदनाम करने की कवायद में जुट जाते है पूरी ताकत से इस बात से बिल्कुल बेपरवाह होकर कि मीडिया का मुख्य काम किसी भी घटना की सही-२ रिपोर्टिंग करनी होती है ना कि न्यायिक ट्रायल करना। उससे भी बड़ी बिडम्बना ये है कि अगर संत पर लगे आरोप निराधार और झूठे पाये जाते है तो जो अखबार या फिर न्यूज़ चैनल आरोप लगने के वक्त पूरे जोर शोर से संत को दोषी ठहरा रहे थे वे ही अखबार और न्यूज़ चैनल पूरी तरह से कन्नी काट लेते है. संत को बेगुनाह साबित करने वाली खबर कब आती है और कब चली जाती है ये पता भी नहीं चलता है. यही वजह है कि कांची के शंकराचार्य की बेगुनाही और बाइज्ज़त बरी होना किसी भी शीर्ष अखबार के सुर्खियो में नहीं आया. शायद सेकुलर मीडिया ने ये सोच कर इस खबर को प्रमुखता से नहीं बताया क्योकि हिन्दुओ से जुडी कोई भली खबर सेक्युलर भावना के विपरीत होती है!
मेनस्ट्रीम मीडिया को प्रोपगेंडा ज्यादा रास आता है बजाय सत्य के. सेक्युलर ताकतो ने और इनके द्वारा संचालित मीडिया समूहो ने कांची के शंकराचार्य के गिरफ्तारी के वक्त ये बहुत जोरदार तरीके से ये दर्शाया कि कोई भी कानून से ऊपर नहीं होता. तो क्या यही सेक्युलर ताकते जो कानून की बात करती है शाही ईमाम सैय्यद अहमद बुख़ारी को गिरफ्तार करने की हिम्मत रखते है जिन पर कई धाराओ में देश के विभिन्न थानो में एफ आई आर दर्ज है? क्या यही सेक्युलर ताकते उन क्रिस्चियन मिशनरीज को बेनकाब करने की ताकत रखती है जो देश के पिछड़े और दूर दराज के इलाको में लोगो को बहला फुसला कर उनका धर्म परिवर्तन कर रही है? लेकिन ये सबको पता है कि सेक्युलर मीडिया ऐसा कभी नहीं करेगा. ऐसा इसलिए कि इन सेक्युलर लोगो की निगाह में कानून के लम्बे हाथ केवल हिन्दू संतो के गर्दन तक पहुंचती है. ये हिन्दू संतो को केवल बदनाम करने तक ही सीमित है और हिन्दू आस्था को खंडित और विकृत करने भर के लिए है. ये दुष्प्रचार के समर्थक है सत्य के नहीं.
हिन्दू संत अपनी जाने गंवाते रहे है लेकिन ये खबरे कभी भी सेक्युलर मीडिया की सुर्खिया नहीं बनी. ये स्वामी लक्ष्मणानन्द जी की तस्वीर है जिनकी हत्या क्रिस्चियन ताकतो ने कर दी थी.
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Acquittal of Kanchi Seers: A Sad Reminder Of The Fact That Propaganda Is More Powerful Than Truth!
The Acquittal Of Kanchi Seer: Truth has won over propaganda!
Any close observer of the happenings in modern India would easily confirm that secular governments have unleashed a sort of war against Hindu saints. They have been framed in number of heinous crimes right from sexual crimes to crimes against national security. The paid media ensures that one-sided coverage gets highlighted not only within Indian landscape but also in International arena. In such matters wherein Hindu saints are involved, a striking feature is that news coverage is full of lies and twisted truths spread by secular press. None of the mainstream media dares to reveal both sides of the story in an impartial way.
One important reason is that most of the Indian media houses are in some way controlled by hidden powers in Western nations. How can we then expect truth to make its presence felt? After all, the mainstream media which harps about involvement of Sadhvi Pragya in blasts never found it important enough to report in same candid fashion about severe violation of rights of prisoners, about inhuman treatment meted out to her inside the jail! The same media is so hyper-sensitive about rights of Devyani who made mockery of India’s honour in West but yet she is being portrayed as if she committed no crime at all! That’s because she is part of the system. But anybody who dared to expose the misdeeds of government was branded as criminal in a well-planned manner!
What I am trying to ascertain that we have given way to era wherein propaganda has become more powerful than version close to truth. One of the most important job of media is to reveal the real picture but exactly opposite has taken place: Media has become carrier of falsehood and distorted versions. It’s main agenda has become to shield dubious powers in rule. Like a prostitute it keep changing its loyalty or, in other words, it generally speaks the language of rulers! Remember the arrest of Kanchi Shankaracharya Swami Jayendra Saraswati in year 2004 in most humiliating manner for allegedly playing a role in murder of Sankararaman, manager of the Sri Varadarajaswamy Temple. The then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,J Jayalalithaa, in an attempt to appear more secular than others and to give an impression that no one is above law ensured his arrest! The Kanchi seers were charged with” criminal conspiracy, misleading the court by giving false information, criminal trespass and supply of funds to carry out the criminal activity.”
The Truth Had The Last Laugh!
The head of a 1,000-year-old Brahmin monastic order was presented as petty criminal in mainstream media and even before case was put to trial he was portrayed as accused. Let’s remember that Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham is one of the oldest Hindu mutts in the country and Shankarcharyas belonging to this mutt command a great respect among Hindu communities across the globe. In fact, Swami Jayendra Saraswati is a highly respected figure having profound knowledge of Hindu scriptures. He like his predecessors provided new heights to this mutt established in 9th century by Sri Adi Shankaracharya, enjoying similar status the way Vatican enjoys amid Christians. However, clash of interests between J Jayalalithaa and DMK chief Karunanidhi, who represented anti- Brahminical movments, ensured that this highly revered pontiff got disgraced.
Prominent media analysts of that period conveyed the impression that “police would not have acted unless they had sufficient evidence.” Ironically, the prosecution at that time was supremely confidant about involvement of Kanchi seers in abetting murder of Sankararaman, claiming that it had “incriminating evidence”. The investigating officer Prem Kumar came out with version that made mutt head appear guilty: “We have strong evidence about the involvement of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi in Sankararaman’s murder. There has been animosity between the two for the past four years and further investigation is on to corroborate the evidence collected on the involvement of the Kanchi Acharya.” The allegations had deepened with revelations of Tamil magazine Nakkeeran. Amid these bizarre turn of events, the case got transferred to Pondicherry to ensure fair trial. To make the matters worse for Kanchi mutt head, even allegations of sexual exploitation surfaced. (The Hindu)
However, the truth had the last laugh when verdict delivered by a special court in Pondicherry acquitted all the accused involved in this sensational murder. The verdict was delivered on November 27, 2013 after nine years of suspense and drama of all sorts. They were acquitted of all the charges which included “criminal conspiracy, misleading the court by giving false information, criminal trespass and supply of funds to carry out the criminal activity.” The main witnesses failed to corroborate the prosecution’s theory. More than 80 witnesses went against the story presented by the prosecution.
Well, it’s true that Kanchi seers got acquitted but in the process it caused irreparable damage to the reputation of an institution, which represented the collective psyche of Hindus. This “collective psyche” of Hindus made its presence felt again the way Kanchi Mutt Head responded to this verdict: ” Dharma has prevailed. Truth has won. That is what matters…I have been trained by my Guru to bear everything. There is no question of situation being tough. Times were challenging because we were facing completely new set of situations. ..There are several invaders who vandalized our temples. Today when you see the disfigured temples you remember the invaders and their acts of vandalism. What was perpetrated on the mutt has been termed as an act of vandalism by several people.” (Kanchi Sathya Org)
Swami Shraddhanand: Killed By A Muslim Fanatic in 1926. He Was Part Of The Movement To Reconvert Muslims Back To Hinduism!
It’s really saddening that moments allegations against Hindu saints surfaces, the whole mainstream media goes berserk and paints them in wrong colours, forgetting that its main task is to report the incident and not to conduct trials. Worse, when the allegations are found false and saints get acquitted the same news item does not get prominence. Acquittal is never important than false stories planted by vested interests. No wonder acquittal of Kanchi’s Shankracharya did not get the same coverage. After all, it strengthens cause of Hindus, which is antithetical to secular spirit of this nation. The mainstream media is more interested in propaganda than emergence of truth.
The secular forces always convey the impression that no one is above law. And so will they dare to arrest Shahi Imam Syed Ahmad Bukhari against whom so many cases have been registered? Will they dare to bring in open and convict Christian missionaries involved in conversion of tribals in remote corners of India? That will never take place. The law exists only for Hindu saints. It’s an instrument of oppression for Hindus and all that which represents self-pride of Hindus. It’s there to support propaganda and not to sustain truth.
Swamy Lakshmanananda Saraswathi and four of his disciples namely Sadhvi Bhaktimayee, Baba Amritanand, Kishor Baba and Puranjan Ganthi at his Ashram in Jaleshpatta of Kandhamal district in Orissa by a group of Christian zealots on the Janmashtami day, 23 August, 2008. But the mainstream media made no uproar!
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खुर्शीद अनवर की आत्महत्या: समाज, कानून और मीडिया के गाल पर झन्नाटेदार तमाचा!
गम्भीर मुद्दा ये है कि सतही मीडिया ट्रायल के चलते जिस भीषण मानसिक कष्ट से गुजरना होता है और जो सरेआम अपमान सहन करना पड़ता है क्या उसका कोई अस्तित्व नहीं? क्या इसका कोई मोल नहीं? क्या ये बिलकुल उपेक्षित कर देने वाली बात है?
खुर्शीद अनवर की आत्महत्या कई गम्भीर सवाल खड़े कर गयी आज के समाज के बारे में, पत्रकारिता के स्तर के बारे में और कानून के उपयोग और दुरुपयोग के सन्दर्भ में. खुर्शीद अनवर एक प्रसिद्ध सामजिक कार्यकर्ता थें जो नई दिल्ली में इंस्टिट्यूट फॉर सोशल डेमोक्रेसी नाम की संस्था चलाते थें. इसके अलावा वे जवाहरलाल नेहरू विश्वविद्यालय के छात्र भी थें. खुर्शीद अनवर ने पिछले साल १८ दिसम्बर २०१३ को आत्महत्या कर ली थी जब उनपे एक मणिपुरी औरत ने अपने साथ दुष्कर्म का आरोप लगाया था. ये खबर कुछ एक समाचार चैनलों पर प्रमुखता से दिखायी गयी और इसके बाद सोशल नेटवर्किंग साईटस पर अंतहीन बहस छिड़ गयी. पहले तो खुर्शीद इस आरोप से हिल गए और इसके बाद मीडिया चैनलो द्वारा कीचड़ उछालने के बाद सदमे से ग्रस्त खुर्शीद ने आत्महत्या कर ली. बाद में उनके पास से बरामद सुसाइड नोट में इस बात का उल्लेख था कि मणिपुरी लड़की के साथ उन्होंने बलात्कार नहीं किया था बल्कि आपसी सहमति से शारीरिक सम्बन्ध बनाये थे.
इस घटना ने मुझे श्रीनिवास सिरास के आत्महत्या की याद दिला दी जो प्रोफेसर थे अलीगढ मुस्लिम यूनिवर्सिटी में. इस प्रकरण में न्यूज़ चैनलो नें इस प्रोफेसर के निजता के साथ खिलवाड़ किया था और उनकी गोपनीयता को सरेआम उजागर करके उनके समलैंगिक सम्बन्धो को विकृत स्वरूप दे दिया था. इलाहाबाद हाईकोर्ट ने इस प्रकरण में सुनवाई करते हुए प्रोफेसर को थोड़ी राहत प्रदान की थी पर मीडिया चैनलो द्वारा की गयी गुस्ताखी उन पर भारी पड़ गयी और उन्होंने आत्महत्या कर लिया. कोर्ट इस तरह के मीडिया ट्रायल पर अक्सर चेतावनी देती रही है पूर्व में कि न्यूज़ चैनल जब केस ट्रायल स्टेज में हो तो किसी भी निष्कर्ष पर अपनी तरफ से पहुचने की हड़बड़ी ना दिखाए और न्यायालय की कार्यवाही को प्रभावित करने की कोशिश ना करे लेकिन बड़े कॉर्पोरेट संस्थानो द्वारा संचालित ये न्यूज़ चैनल न्यायालय के द्वारा इन पारित आदेश को सिर्फ कागज़ का एक टुकड़ा समझते है और उन्हें किसी प्रकरण में निहित संवेदनशीलता से कुछ नहीं लेना देना होता सिवाय इसके कि उसका माखौल किस तरह उड़ाया जाए. ये सही है मीडिया ट्रायल एक जटिल मुद्दा है लेकिन उससे बड़ा सच ये है कि सनसनीखेज मीडिया ट्रायल के चलते किसी के इज्जत और उसके आत्मसम्मान के साथ जो खिलवाड़ होता है और इससे जो अपूर्णीय क्षति होती है उसकी भरपाई असंभव होती है. मीडिया किसी दोषी व्यक्ति के अधिकारो के हमेशा अतिक्रमण करती आयी है और समय आ गया है कि सही तथ्यात्मक रिपोर्टिंग और रिपोर्टिंग जो गलत इरादो से की गय़ी हो सिर्फ न्यूज़ चैनल के टी आर पी या फिर अखबार की बिक्री बढ़ाने के उद्देश्य से की गयी हो दोनों में एक स्पष्ट रेखा का निर्धारण हो.
“सनसनीखेज रिपोर्टिंग तो हमेशा होगी क्योकि सनसनीखेज घटनाये भारत में हमेशा रहती है. सुप्रीम कोर्ट इस पर लगाम लगाने में असमर्थ है. ये सही है कि रिपोर्टिंग सही होनी चाहिए पर इसका ये मतलब निकालना कि ये मीडिया के द्वारा ट्रायल है एक निन्दात्मक अभिव्यक्ति है. कोर्ट या किसी के पास कोई स्पष्ट मापदंड नहीं है जो ये निर्धारित कर सके कि मीडिया ट्रायल क्या होता है.” (सीनियर अधिवक्ता राजीव धवन, द टाइम्स ऑफ़ इंडिया). खैर इस बात से इंकार करना असम्भव है कि मीडिया के द्वारा किसी भी दोषी व्यक्ति के अधिकारो का हनन और किसी के भी निजता के साथ खिलवाड़ करने के कृत्य का अपने तरफ से दूषित स्पष्टीकरण कोई भी मतलब नहीं रखता। ये सिर्फ एक व्यर्थ का प्रलाप होता है, बेवजह अपने को सही ठहराना होता है. उसकी स्पष्टीकरण से उस अपूर्णीय क्षति की भरपाई असम्भव है जो इस वजह से होती है. इन दोनों प्रकरणो में दो व्यक्ति ने अपनी जान ले ली इस वजह से और अब हम ये कभी नहीं जान पाएंगे कि सच्चाई क्या थी. क्या ये दो जाने वापस मिल जाएंगी? क्या खोया सम्मान वापस मिलेगा? शायद कभी नहीं।
वरिष्ठ पत्रकार सईद नक़वी शायद सच के ज्यादा करीब है जब ये कहते है कि “पत्रकारिता में शायद निष्कर्षो पर पहुचने की हड़बड़ी है. ये उसी दिन किसी को मुजरिम ठहरा देता है जिस दिन किसी पे आरोप लगते है, इसके पहले कि कोर्ट किसी बात का निर्धारण करे. ये बहुत दुखी कर देने वाली बात है. कैसे मीडिया इतनी जल्दीबाज़ी में किसी निष्कर्ष पर पहुच सकती है और किसी को इतनी हड़बड़ी में दोषी करार दे सकती है? मीडिया को इस बात का इन्तजार करना चाहिए कि कम से कम प्राथमिक रिपोर्ट तो दर्ज हो, कम से कम जांच तो पूरी हो जाए” (डी एन ए न्यूज़ रिपोर्ट) ये बिलकुल चकित कर देने वाली बात है कि मीडिया कभी भी इस तरह के सनसनीखेज मीडिया ट्रायल के दौरान अपूर्णीय क्षति और इनके अंजामो के बारे में कभी भी ईमानदारी से आकलन नहीं करती. गम्भीर मुद्दा ये है कि सतही मीडिया ट्रायल के चलते जिस भीषण मानसिक कष्ट से गुजरना होता है और जो सरेआम अपमान सहन करना पड़ता है क्या उसका कोई अस्तित्व नहीं? क्या इसका कोई मोल नहीं? क्या ये बिलकुल उपेक्षित कर देने वाली बात है? ये बिलकुल स्पष्ट है कि मीडिया ट्रायल अधिकतर एकतरफा, भ्रामक और तथ्यो के साथ खिलवाड़ होता है जिसमे इस बात की बिलकुल परवाह नहीं की जाती कि कम से कम तथ्यो के असलियत का तो निर्धारण कर लिया जाए सूक्ष्मता से.
इस पूरे प्रकरण में दो बहुत गम्भीर पहलू शामिल है. पहला तो ये कि ये समाज के इस विकृत बदलाव को दर्शाता है कि समाज में हड़बड़ी में निष्कर्षो पर पहुचने की लत लग गयी है अधकचरे दिमाग के साथ. इसे चाहे वो प्रशंसा हो या फिर आलोचना दोनों को बिना किसी आधार के आत्मसात करने की आदत सी हो गयी है. ना आलोचना का स्तर विकसित हो पाया और ना ही प्रशंसा के आयाम निर्धारित हो पाये. आलोचना अगर हो रही है तो तो वो भी तब जब कि कोई भी तथ्यात्मक या तार्किक आधार आलोचना के पक्ष में मौजूद नहीं है. दूसरा पक्ष ये है कि जिन कानूनो को स्त्री की अस्मिता की रक्षा करने के लिए बनाया गया है वे अब निर्दोष लोगो को प्रताड़ित करने का अस्त्र बन गए है. ये कितने तकलीफ की बात है कि जहा किसी स्त्री के सेक्सुअल हरस्मेंट का मामला उभरता है वही पे समाज का एकपक्षीय भेदभाव ग्रस्त दिमाग उभर कर सामने आ जाता है और मीडिया हमेशा की तरह दोषी के ऊपर हर तरह का लांछन जड़ देता है और इसके पहले वो अपने बेगुनाही को साबित करे वो मुजरिम साबित करार कर दिया जाता है. ये सर्वविदित है कि जो नए कानून की परिभाषा है सेक्सुअल हरस्मेंट को रोकने कि उसके प्रावधान इस तरह के है कि आप तकरीबन मुजरिम ही है और इस बात को गौण कर दिया गया है कि आप के पास भी बचाव के सही रास्ते होने चाहिए. और सबसे घातक ये है कि एकतरफा मीडिया ट्रायल शुरू हो जाने के बाद जो उसके पास अपने को बचाने के जो रास्ते होते है वे भी बंद हो जाते है क्योकि मीडिया आपके विपक्ष में माहौल खड़ा कर देता है हर तरफ.
“भारत में और अन्य देशो में जहा इस तरह के कानून पास हुए है औरतो के साथ होने वाले अपराधो को रोकने के लिए उसमे बर्डेन ऑफ़ प्रूफ को सुनियोजित तरीके से बदल दिया गया है. अब दोषी के ऊपर ये जिम्मा है कि वे अपनी निर्दोषता साबित करे. ये परिवर्तन निहित रूप से बहुत गलत है पर शायद ये इसलिए किया गया है कि ताकि इन प्रकार के अपराधो में स्त्री के पास सामान स्तर के अवसर हो अपने साथ हुए अन्याय के भरपाई के लिए. लेकिन जो अब नए कानून बने है सेक्सुअल हरस्मेंट रोकने के लिए उसमे ये बर्डन ऑफ़ प्रूफ इस सख्त स्वरूप में है कि जहा दोषी (पुरुष) के पास बचाव के सारे रास्ते बंद हो जाते है. अगर एक बार आप पर आरोप लगे तो इस बात की सम्भावना कम है कि आप अपने को निर्दोष साबित कर सके या आपको बेहद मशक्कत के बाद ही कोई रास्ता दिखायी पड़े. ये शायद नैसर्गिक न्याय के सिद्धांत के विपरीत है.” (वरिष्ठ पत्रकार प्रेम शंकर झा, द टाइम्स ऑफ़ इंडिया)
संक्षेप में समाज और मीडिया दोनों का स्तर रसातल में चला गया है क्योकि ये दोनों भावनाओ के प्रवाह में बहने के आदी हो गए है और इन दोनों को तथ्यो और तार्किक सोच से कुछ लेना देना नहीं रह गया है. दोनों को इस विकृत खेल में रस आने लगा है जहा किसी निर्दोष के भावनाओ के साथ खिलवाड़ होता है, उसके आत्मसम्मान के जब टुकड़े टुकड़े किये जाते है. लेकिन खेद कि बात ये है कि न्याय परंपरा/व्यवस्था भी इसी विकृत रस का शिकार हो गयी है, इन्ही घातक प्रवित्तियों का शिकार सा हो गयी है, खासकर उन मामलो में जहा स्त्रियों से जुड़े अपराधो के निष्पक्ष अवलोकन की बात आती है. खैर सब की जिम्मेदारी बनती है कि भावनात्मक प्रवाह में बह कर लिए गए निर्णयो के बजाय सोच समझकर तार्किक रूप से लिए गए निर्णयो को प्राथमिकता दी जाए. ये बहुत आवश्यक हो गया है समाज के बिखराव को रोकने के लिए, एक मूल्य आधारित समाज के निर्माण के लिए.
खुर्शीद अनवर की आत्महत्या: समाज, कानून और मीडिया के गाल पर झन्नाटेदार तमाचा
References:
Activist Khurshid Anwar’s suicide: Was media trial responsible?
AMU’s ‘gay’ prof commits suicide
पिक्स क्रेडिट:
Rape Allegation That Led To Suicide of Kurshid Anwar: A Resounding Slap On The Face Of Media!
Can Deaths Caused By Vain Media Trials Be Reversed?
(Also Appeared in Northern India Patrika On January 07, 2014)
The suicide by a prominent social activist Khursid Anwar, executive director of NGO Institute for Social Democracy and also a JNU scholar, has given rise to some pretty disturbing questions. Khurshid Anwar allegedly committed suicide in the aftermath of rape allegation by a Manipuri lady. This news got flashed on several news channels, followed by intense discussion on several social media networking websites including Facebook. Unable to bear this unwarranted media trial, this well known social activist committed suicide by jumping from his third floor residence in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, on December 18, 2013. As per suicide note found at his home it was not a rape but consensual sex.
This tragic incident reminds me of suicide committed by Sriniwas Siras, who happened to be a professor at Aligarh Muslim University. In this particular case, news channels were found guilty of invading his privacy by making public his homosexual affair in blown out of proportion way. The professor was granted relief by the Allahabad High Court, but he was not able to cope up with harassment in the form of bizarre media coverage. That made him to end his life. Of late, courts have regularly come up with strict reminders for media channels not to indulge in media trials when the case is in its trial phase. However, influential media houses have always adopted care-a-damn, leading to mockery of the sensitivity involved in any issue under trial. It’s true that need to control media trial remains a complicated issue but it’s an undisputed fact that there is no dearth of cases, wherein sensational media trial caused irreparable damage to one’s reputation. The media has always taken for granted “rights of the accused” and it’s high time to make clear demarcation between accurate reporting and reporting done with malicious intent to increase the sale or ensure high TRP ratings.
“Sensational reporting will take place because sensational incidents keep happening in India. The Supreme Court will not be able to stop it. Yes, reporting must be accurate. But to say it amounted to trial by media is only a pejorative expression. Neither the court nor any one has provided parameters to define what constitutes trial by media.” (Senior Advocate Rajeev Dhavan in The Times of India) However, media’s pervert justification of its breach of privacy and rights of accused would never be enough to clear the huge mess caused by its unwanted intervention. Two lives of reputed individuals came to meet untimely end because of media trial. Can it bring them back to life? Can it restore the loss of reputation?
In fact, senior journalist Saeed Naqvi has framed a perfect perspective regarding media trail: ” There is a tendency in journalism – it convicts a person on the day allegation is leveled against him, even before the court convicts him. That is sad. How can media reach a conclusion so quickly and start showing one as an accused? At least, it should wait for lodging of an FIR, completion of investigation” (DNA News Report) It’s really amazing that media always never takes into account serious repercussions involved in unfair trial. Is “mental trauma and public humiliation” in the wake of seriously flawed “media trial” is thing of lesser concern? It’s so evident in media trials that reporting is misleading and one-sided with scant respect for cross-checking of the facts.
This whole issue involves two other serious concerns. The first one brings to the fore love of the society to reach at conclusions in one go with a prejudiced mindset. It loves to criticize or, for that matter, endorse any issue even if there are no concrete material evidence to support its beliefs. The other aspect involves abuse of laws meant to protect sexual harassment of women. It’s simply not an issue pertaining to rights of men that laws meant to protect women have lead to harassment of innocent men. It’s so pathetic that moment an issue involving sexual harassment of women gets highlighted, the media enters in caricature of the accused, portraying him guilty. Worse, if you analyze the laws meant to prevent sexual harassment of women, it’s evident that men are virtually assumed to be guilty. Tragically, the attempt of the accused to prove himself innocent becomes further bleak in wake of such pervert media trials.
“The disconcerting answer is that it will not matter. In India, and several other countries where laws have been passed to punish crimes against women, the burden of proof has been consciously reversed: it is the accused who has to prove his innocence. This reversal is bad in principle, but probably necessary to create a level playing field for women in cases pertaining to sex crimes. But the new rape law has carried the reversal to a point where, if implemented as drafted, it will defeat the very purpose of justice . For once a man is accused, it leaves him with no way whatever of proving his innocence.” (Senior Journalist Prem Shankar Jha in The Times Of India)
In nutshell, both society and media have lost the ability to be governed by reason and logic. Both of them have given way to pervert pleasure of playing havoc with the dignity and reputation of individuals. However, it’s baffling that even legal jurisprudence appears to have adopted same line of action, more so in cases involving sexual harassment of women. It’s time for everybody to upheld logical thinking over thinking governed by rash emotions. That’s essential to stop the fragmentation of society, to create a value-oriented society.
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