Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
A resonance that has occupied much space in the media as well as social media are the remarks of Supreme Court Judges about Nupur Sharma, knocking the door of Supreme Court for clubbing FIR against her in different states concerning her controversial remarks in a debate on a News channel. The Supreme Court declined to provide any relief and came heavily with remarks on Nupur Sharma. The Apex Court criticized the News Channel also for the debates. A free mind can deduce that the remarks of the Supreme Court Judges are the red signals for the TV Channels, the spokespersons of political parties, the political parties itself and the law enforcing agencies. “What is the business of the TV channel to discuss a matter which is sub-Judice, except to promote an agenda?” Remarks of Judges that ‘there should have been a case against the host”, is a red signal for all the TV Channels, who are biased in nature and carrying forward the debates on their channels around the subjects that suits to a particular political party and creating atmosphere of hatred in nature and dividing the society. The remarks of the Judges are alarming bells for spokespersons of many political parties, who cross the boundaries in making statements with the backup strength of their parties, when the Court said “What if she is the spokesperson of a party? She thinks she has back-up power and can make any statement without respect to the law of the land?” The most relevant message that emanates from Supreme Court remarks is that the spokesperson has to keep command on their words and they are single-handedly responsible for the repercussions of their ‘Loose Tongue’. For the political parties, the message is that they have to look forward to appointing such spokespersons for their parties having a secular character that is the preamble of the Indian Constitution and who do not cross the party line and take granted liberty to give leverage to their loose tongue. No more parties can shield their spokespersons on the strength of their position in power and giving legitimacy to toxic voices. From the remarks of the Judges, the law enforcing agencies have to break the red signal laid by the political empowerment as to dance to their tune and have to come forward as to maintain the sanctity of law, when the Justice Surya Kant said that Nupur Sharma was not arrested despite the case against her and this reflected her clout. “What has been done in that FIR? We are asking you repeatedly” (Plainly we can say it might be regarding the arrest of Nupur Sharma charged with offences like 153A IPC for promoting enmity, a non-bailable offence and a cognizable offence, which means the police can arrest the accused without a warrant.) While police have arrested several of those who protested against Nupur Sharma’s dirty comments, the same police have allowed Nupur to move freely. We should learn what the ‘The rule of law’ is? It is defined in the Encyclopedia Britannica as “the mechanism, process, institution, practice, or norm that supports the equality of all citizens before the law, secures a non-arbitrary form of government, and more generally prevents the arbitrary use of power’ and remarks of Supreme Court Judges is an awakening call.
Reacting to the remarks of Judges, some of the former judges and bureaucrats have alleged that these comments are not in sync with the judicial ethos and have sent shockwaves in the country and outside. These vocal faces have torn out the sounding page of this controversy and their specks became frosty as to read or understand, why the party maintained silence whose spokesperson’s lose talk have invited strong language not only from Muslim countries like Qatar, Kuwait and Iran that summoned envoys and demanded ‘Public Apology’ from the Government of India. UN Tells India To ‘Respect All Religions’ After BJP Leader’s Controversial Remarks. We strongly encourage respect and tolerance for all religions. Nupur’s remarks have landed India in a tricky foreign policy situation with West Asian Nations with which it has crucial trade and diplomatic relations. Over 89 lakh Indians living or working in the Gulf also make it an area of diplomatic concern. The secular minds in India have also condemned Nupur’s remarks. Several countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Libya, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Maldives, and Pakistan, apart from the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also vehemently denounced the offensive remarks of the BJP leaders, seeking apology in the matter. Those alleging that the Supreme Court Judge’s remarks have sent shockwaves in the country and outside, should open their mind to the definition of secularism and visit the page of constitution to understand in real sense what it means to be secular. Hard reality to be accepted by secular and unbiased minds is that it is not these remarks of the Judges but the remarks of Nupur Sharma, spokesperson of BJP that have sent shockwaves in the country and outside. Such remarks from the occupiers of the seats in the Highest Judicial hierarchy were much needed when political leaders maintain silence to such burning issues for their vote bank and these remarks have emanated a ray that yet the Apex Court have the courage to call ‘spade a spade’ and the ethos of the constitution are well protected in the hands of interpreter of the Indian Constitution. Concluding in person I don’t align with the allegations of ex-judges and ex-bureaucrats but fully endorse the judges remarks that have shown mirror to the ideology that is in propagation for the past some years and every time unbridled mouth from political set up have been sending vicious signals to destroy the social and secular fabric of the country and we have never observed any deterrent measures from the present political dispensation to bond the relations but what observed is such lose tongues are encouraged.
Here I remind the readers about a letter written by 34 top American lawmakers written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 Feb 2016, (Available on search Engines) almost on the similar situation.
