The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Judicial intolerance

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Monday, Sep 24, 2007
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Judicial intolerance

This refers to the Delhi High Court’s order sentencing four journalists of English tabloid Mid Day to four-month imprisonment for contempt of court. The judiciary, for all its good work, is becoming increasingly intolerant of criticism.

The High Court’s reasoning that the people’s faith in the judiciary will be eroded if it is openly criticised is unacceptable. If criticism can lead to the lowering of an institution’s credibility in the eyes of the people, and that is sufficient reason for not allowing it, that should hold true for the legislature and the executive too. No institution is above criticism in a democracy.

Mohan Mathew Antony,

Mumbai

The sentencing of the four journalists for contempt of court has thrown up quite a few questions. If writing hard facts regarding the alleged motives of a judge is contempt of court, how else can the misconduct of a judge, if any, be exposed?

What happens to the responsibilities of the fourth pillar of democracy in enlightening the masses about the goings-on in the country? If the media are gagged, what happens to the concept of checks and balances?

S.A. Nasser Khan,

Chennai

If the former CJI Y.K. Sabharawal — whose sons allegedly benefited from the Supreme Court’s orders passed in connection with the sealing of commercial establishments in residential areas in Delhi — was above board, he should have recused himself from the bench that passed the orders as his family had an interest in the outcome. The former CJI has set a bad example for other judges.

Sheriff Ashik Mohideen,

Chennai

The jail sentence for scribes has raised genuine concern about the judiciary’s powers. Why did the former Chief Justice not call for an independent enquiry into the questions raised? The gag on the media is no answer to the so-called ‘contempt of court.’

Prashant Malaiyya,

Vellore

Deplorable

The reported fatwa issued by Ram Vilas Vedanti, a senior VHP leader and former BJP MP, against DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, is despicable. His announcement that he would gift gold to anybody causing harm to Mr. Karunanidhi is reflective of the arrogance synonymous with the sangh parivar.

The government should not take the threat lightly as fanatics are deliberately upping the ante on the Ramar Sethu issue. It is unfortunate that a secular government has allowed the BJP to take advantage of the situation.

J. Anantha Padmanabhan,

Srirangam

Nobody can issue a fatwa against another in a secular, democratic republic. We are not living in the Middle Ages. At the same time, leaders will do well to exercise care and restraint before saying anything more on the issue. We have enough problems on hand. People living below the poverty line need to be provided with the basic necessities. Our leaders will set better examples if they lift themselves up from the morass of petty party politics.

S.N. Kulkarni,

Bangalore

The fatwa is anti-democratic and condemnable. As the BJP has distanced itself from Mr. Vedanti’s statement, it would be better for all concerned to observe restraint. The Tamil Nadu leaders should avoid comments on religious matters and concentrate on the development aspect of the Sethusamudram project. What is important is the implementation of the project, even if it is through an alternative alignment.

Kumar Krishna,

Bangalore

Mr. Karunanidhi could have perhaps been more diplomatic when he expressed his opinion on the Ramayana and its characters. He, however, has every right to express his views even if he finds himself in a small minority. While the sangh parivar assumes the right to make statements regarding religion and religious figures on a continuous basis, it cries foul when occasional statements containing radically different views are made by someone. As the political arm of the parivar, the BJP is expected to adhere strictly to the democratic principles of free speech and opinion and argue its points on a rational basis.

S. Nityananda,

Bangalore

True, everyone has the right to freedom of speech. But there are restrictions on every freedom in the interest of peace and harmony. Unity in diversity can become meaningful only if the diversity is respected by all.

M.S. Goyal,

Bathinda

It is not fair to say the BJP is trying to gain political mileage out of the Ramar Sethu issue. The party is only defending its belief. As Chief Minister, Mr. Karunanidhi should not have voiced his personal opinion on the Ramayana, which has been the epitome of Hindu belief for centuries. Scientific data are not foolproof and cannot convincingly prove or disprove everything.

Ramya Krishnan,

Kochi

On King Arthur

The Ramar Sethu row and claims about Rama’s existence remind me of the efforts to prove the existence of another mythological but historically unaccounted for figure, King Arthur of England. In his book The quest for Arthur’s Britain, Geoffrey Ashe says: “Historically speaking, Arthurian Fact is far clearer than Arthur himself. An archaeologist might argue that because there is no physical proof of King Arthur of Camelot, he never existed. To say Arthur did not exist is to take a shallow look at all the data surrounding him (legends, folk tales, literary compositions, etc.). The majority of Arthur’s existence is not buried in Camelot or Tintagel, but in the minds and hearts of people around the world ...” The same logic applies to Rama and a host of religious and literary figures who live in the tales of the land that forms the bedrock of culture.

A.T. Thiruvengadam,

Claremont, California
Sound of music

This refers to the editorial “The sound of music” (Sept. 22). For long, the mainstream media have neglected the northeast save for some coverage during ULFA attacks on innocent civilians. The music talent hunt show, Indian Idol, has luckily paved the way for the region to hog some limelight. While it is good to hear that music has transcended social barriers with several groups uniting to support their favourite contestant, it is sad that a music show had to do what elected governments could not.

N. Sivaraman,

Bangalore The editorial is right in saying that the people do not evince the kind of interest they do while voting for the Indian Idol in the general elections. The voter turnout is in fact falling with every election. We need to amend our law to make voting compulsory.

Gururajan Ramachandran,

Udhagamandalam
The editorial started off well, recognising that something unrelated to political unrest and violence is whipping up frenzy in the northeast. However it failed to recognise the significance of people unifying over something positive, taking collective pride in a musical talent that is intrinsic to the region’s culture. The editorial veers off into an ‘if only’ mode where the apparent lack of interest in the political process is the problem. The lack of interest, at least among the people of the northeast, emanates from the mainland where all solutions for the region are reduced to AFSPA and violent methods.

The Indian Idol contestants have managed to do, if only for some time, what violence and guns could not do all these years.

Nenem Misao,

New Delhi

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