spot_img

HinduPost is the voice of Hindus. Support us. Protect Dharma

Will you help us hit our goal?

spot_img
Hindu Post is the voice of Hindus. Support us. Protect Dharma
23.5 C
Sringeri
Friday, March 29, 2024

Justice B Veerappa says Judiciary is the ‘only temple worshipped by citizens’ irrespective of religion & caste; time for a reality check?

Karnataka High Court (HC) Justice B Veerappa was all praise for the judiciary which he eulogised as the ‘temple of justice’. Furthermore, he emphasized that it was the ‘only temple worshipped by citizens’.

What did Justice Veerappa say?

The judge was speaking at his farewell function on May 31 when he made the absurd and self-aggrandizing claim, which elevates an institution answerable to the people, just like legislature and bureaucracy are, over and above everything else in the Republic.

“It is the last stop of the people after every knock of all doors fails. People approach the judiciary as the last resort. It is the only temple worshipped by every citizen of this nation, regardless of religion, caste, sex, or place of birth”, the judge said.

judiciary

Would it be wrong to interpret Justice Veerappa’s words as meaning that judges like him see themselves as the presiding deities of the Indian Republic, who are supposed to be ‘worshipped’ by ordinary citizens in order to be ‘granted’ justice? Apart from being condescending towards the very citizenry that the judiciary serves, isn’t this also a mockery of the religious beliefs of temple worshippers and all Dharmics?

“Indian judiciary has, by and large, enjoyed immense public confidence. The greatest asset and strongest weapon in the armoury of the judiciary is the confidence it commands and the faith it inspires in the minds of the people in its capacity to do even under justice and keep the scale in balance in any dispute. Citizens have always considered the judiciary as the ultimate guardian of the rights and liberties”, he stated.

“It is a major obstacle to the growth of the country and the future generation. We the judges, stop the entire judicial system and should pledge to eliminate corruption. We should become a role models to all other organs of the State. Thereby it is high time for both lawyers and judges to ensure calmness in the minds of the public and to protect the majesty of the esteemed institution”, he advised while speaking about corruption. 

Has the judiciary delivered justice?

Even as the pending court cases were on the rise, the apex court was busy deciding how Odomos should be classified and whether mosquitoes merely get confused due to the application of Odomos or are repelled and killed by it. The Supreme Court bench led by none other than the CJI (Chief Justice of India) himself admitted a petition regarding tree felling and even questioned the need for straight roads. It is not just the time of the courts that is wasted but also the financial costs imposed on the exchequer due to such frivolity.

Is it in the interest of justice that the judiciary opened its doors at odd hours for a terrorist while ordinary citizens spend years, even lifetimes, in jails as undertrials? Justice Veerappa spoke about public confidence but what confidence does a judiciary evoke in the common man when it gives same-day hearing to Salman Khan’s Hinduphobic film Loveratri/Loveyatri that demeans the Hindu festival of Navratri?

Maybe Justice Veerappa should take a look at the Kiran Negi case so that he can get off the ‘temple of justice’ high horse. The case happened a few months before that of Nirbhaya but did not attract the kind of public outrage from wider society. Kiran Negi’s case did not receive publicity, so the judiciary and government seem to be in no hurry.

Supreme Court would rather fix the height of dahi-handi and impose Rs. 1 cost on urban-naxals for contempt than look into cases like Kiran Negi. Even after the judicial delay in Nirbhaya, no rules have been framed to discourage the abuse of judicial remedies for the delay of the execution of criminals. It is conceivable that the Kiran Negi case will go on for many more years unless it gets adequate publicity in the media.

Needless to say that criminals often leverage the laxity of the judiciary to their advantage. It must be noted that according to the judgment in T.V. Vatheswaran v. State of Tamil Nadu (1983), the prolonged detention to await the execution of a death sentence is an unjust, unfair, and unreasonable procedure, requiring that the death sentence be quashed and a sentence of life imprisonment substituted. In many cases, convicts have used this to get their sentence commuted to a life sentence.

Readers may recall the Vikas Dubey encounter that sparked the debate about a dysfunctional judicial system. Months before Dubey’s encounter, four men accused of gang rape were shot dead by the Telangana police. Both encounters were welcomed by a large section of the citizens.

Therein lies the answer to the crucial question that why people celebrate extra-judicial killings in a democracy like Bharat. The failure of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies to punish criminals has led people to believe that it is easier to get justice outside the legal system than within it where cases often drag for years like in the Delhi rape case or criminals escape using the loopholes in the legal system despite the fact that there are eyewitnesses to the case.

When such criminals walk free there is always the danger of them becoming idols and being hero-worshipped by the youth as was the case with the dreaded Gorakhpur don Shriprakash Shukla in the 90s, or with gangsters-turned-terrorists like Abdul Latif who was glamorized in the Shah Rukh Khan starter Raees.

Besides, there is the very real danger of such criminals becoming elected representatives which gives them further immunity and leads the future generations to think that ‘crime pays’.

We are well aware that cases in Bharat drag on for years and many times those waiting for justice end up waiting for a lifetime. In addition, there is the added risk of criminals escaping using the many loopholes that plague our laws. There is, therefore, an urgent need for judicial and police reforms.

The judiciary’s apathy and slackness regarding security issues would require a dedicated essay. The less said about the Hindudvesh (Hinduphobia) of sections of judiciary, the better it would be. The apex court exposed its double standards when it took suo moto cognizance of the Lakhimpur incident but showed zero urgency in the case of WB post-poll anti-Hindu pogrom. A similar double standard was adopted by the judiciary in case of sporadic disturbances in Tripura.

The Judiciary’s differential treatment of Nupur Sharma and POCSO-accused Mohammad Zubair aptly shows how it is keeping ‘the scale in balance in any dispute‘ as Justice Veerappa puts it. The apex court’s kid-glove treatment of rabid Hindu hater Munawar Faruqui is another case in point.

The judiciary needs to take a good hard look at itself before patting its own back. It allows itself to be bullied by the Lutyens cabal frequently. Also, the sooner it gets off the moral high horse and gets rid of its God complex, the quicker it would be able to hear the common citizens’ honest opinions about the judiciary and their desperate pleas for justice.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram &  YouTube. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Articles

Sign up to receive HinduPost content in your inbox
Select list(s):

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Thanks for Visiting Hindupost

Dear valued reader,
HinduPost.in has been your reliable source for news and perspectives vital to the Hindu community. We strive to amplify diverse voices and broaden understanding, but we can't do it alone. Keeping our platform free and high-quality requires resources. As a non-profit, we rely on reader contributions. Please consider donating to HinduPost.in. Any amount you give can make a real difference. It's simple - click on this button:
By supporting us, you invest in a platform dedicated to truth, understanding, and the voices of the Hindu community. Thank you for standing with us.