Hopes die first?

January 30, 2013


I had huge hopes from Justice Verma.

When the govt appointed him to recommend changes in the existing archaic legal system in India, I was hopeful that now finally we would see some path breaking stuff.

Justice Verma's reputation of being a wise, learned and incorruptible judge and his brilliant team of Justice Seth and Gopal Subramanium were the reasons for this hope and optimism in me. We were truly on to a good thing, I believed.

But, what ultimately resulted was a big disappointment to say the least. Justice Verma and his esteemed team seemed more concerned about meeting the one month deadline rather than brain storming and deliberating on changing the ineffective laws that govern us. The commission's report turned out to be rather insipid, meek, wishy-washy, uninspiring and status quo-ish considering they had the benefit/advantage of perusing over 80 thousand suggestions from people in India and from across the world and incorporating the best ideas in their report. The recommendations could have been more dynamic, out-of-the-box and path breaking. Alas!

The feeling that I now get is that Justice Verma has acted less as a legal visionary and more as a human rights sympathiser/activist while compiling this report. The recommendations pertaining to the AFSPA, the reduction of age for juveniles and harsher penalties for heinous crimes all point to that. His intent seems to be more in protecting the legal rights of the accused rather the victims and that is a real pity because it is a golden opportunity lost to bring in some great, kick-ass reforms.

I still, however, respect the man but have a few suggestions of my own for the learned judge.........

Sir, now that you have gone and done what you had to and in the process disappointed quite a few of us, please stop appearing on the news channels on the one hour long 'exclusives' that you have been giving to them in the last few days and explaining your compulsions/reasons because it serves no purpose now. It just shows you up as a slightly fuddled, inarticulate old man and destroys the aura that had surrounded you till now.

Also, kindly keep quiet about what the executive should do with your report. Get out of the Anna Hazare mould quickly and do not insist that the govt should pass ordinances on your recommendations asap or within as much time as it took you to recommend them. You should be the last person to suggest such a thing as you would know that laws must never be passed in a hurry or under pressure.

Kindly resist the temptation to become a messiah. One is still around somewhere.

One is all that we can take at the moment.

Umbraged India!

January 29, 2013

Be it films, books, comments, dress, ideas, philosophy, art, anything.....Indians are forever ready to find anything and everything objectionable these days. Is it a sudden, new found and uncharacteristic lack of tolerance or simply attempts at seeking 15 minutes of fame (even infamy seems welcome) on the rabble rousing Indian news channels who tend to make every mole-hill into a mountain to grab fickle eye balls?

Incredible India is fast turning into Umbraged India.

Incredible!!!

Lighting Candles

5 January, 2013

"Cars would slow down and then speed away!!"
"At least twenty people gathered but no one helped!!"
"We lay naked on the road but no one covered us!!"
Words of an honourable, brave man which make a chilling indictment of our social apathy.
We all know that our police is insensitive, our administration is sluggish, our politicians are opportunistic and our judicial system is archaic but, what about us??
Instead of lighting candles shouldn't we be first making sure that darkness never falls?

Indian Penile Code.

2 January, 2013

Quite depressing to pick up the newspapers every morning and read about rapes and molestations taking place all over the country. It seems that the Indian male has no other occupation and is forever preoccupied with outraging the modesty of women.
What makes it more depressing is that it is happening at a time when there are protests taking place everywhere against it and there is a chorus and clamour for tougher laws to be enacted to curb this menace in society.
People used to laugh and comment that most Indian males have sex only in their heads and not in their loins but this proves that the observation was unfounded. Indian males are sex and power crazed imbeciles!!
Rather than rewriting the rape laws in the Indian Penal Code, I feel that the law makers should introduce a new sub section of the IPC called the INDIAN PENILE CODE!!!