Justice katju to the fore

Premchandran · #1 07-21-2014

By Prem Chandan

Justice Markandey Katju is an honourable man. Katju was in the forefront of trashing Narendra Modi, in place and out of place, so much so during a flight, a Gujarati co-traveller rose from his seat and sought the airline crew’s help to move into a seat away from Katju’s. That was long before Modi was named the PM nominee by the BJP, but a time when Modi had given enough hints to the outside world that he would come calling on Delhi.

Ever since that nomination, Katju was among the alleged “first family associates” who chose to keep their mouths shut. Intelligent as they were, they had a foreboding that the fate of India was going to change, and hence discretion, they reckoned, was the better part of valour. Finally it happened. Modi swept himself into the top seat of power and quietly put his detractors on notice. The likes of Katju were crestfallen.

But, how long can worthies like Katju, chairman of the Press Council of India, remain quiet? More so when a fellow traveler like Gopalkrishna Gandhi got a front-page exposure in The Hindu, sending out an unsolicited, patently ludicrous, advice to Modi as to how to govern this country. Katju might have thought for a long while as to how he could also be of some use to the wider society in the changing context. He has only three more months left to warm the seat that he currently occupies. After that, what? It is upto the NDA to make use of his strengths, but are the likes of Modi enlightened enough to see the merits in him? Will the Kashmiri and more importantly the Allahabad aura that he has work to his disadvantage now?

Till a while ago, he gave some titillation to the family by trashing Modi and using the platform of secularism for this onslaught. Katju would speak vehemently against the attacks on Muslims under Narendra Modi’s governance in Gujarat, but he would have a frown on his face if someone mentioned about a matching show, or perhaps worse show some Congress leaders had masterminded against the Sikhs following the Indira Gandhi’s assassination in capital Delhi. True, passions were at its height in both these cases, but can anyone who claims to be a humanist, see one and close his eyes to the other?

Now, if Gopalkrishna Gandhi got front page space in The Hindu, which too used secularism as a shield to take on Modi in place and out of place, why not try one up? Why not occupy space on world’s number one newspaper, The Times of India, on its front page, and prominently? And why not fly back in time, and go over to the UPA I period, and “expose” corruption in the judiciary with a knock right on UPA’s belly? If this is not the time, when is the time?

Many were already wondering whether Katju had gone into hibernation, whether the Press Council itself was alive, and whether there was still some life left in what was once a springboard for pontification. And, Katju’s expose shook the world; which was that a corrupt district court judge in Tamil Nadu was, long long ago, made a high court judge despite allegations of corruption against him, as one of the Dravidian parties there threatened to withdraw support to the UPA government if this was not done. Why? The judge in question had granted bail to one of the party’s senior leaders, something that the leader did not deserve. So went the grandmaa tale. Is Narendra Modi listening, and will he give a knock-out punch to this good old UPA people?

For one, corruption in the judiciary is by now an old story. The august institution has been taking major hits in recent times, and that includes the Supreme Court as well, with a series of serious allegations tearing to shreds the long-held sanctity of the judiciary in this country. We still respect it, as it is the ultimate recourse to justice in this country, and there are very many among the judges who are unimpeachable in their conduct. Stragglers are stragglers, and bring in a bad name to the whole edifice. However, there, per se, is no real need to go back to 10 years and lift a skeleton from the cupboard; there are many more skeletons, right under the nose of Katju in capital Delhi itself, and being a sanctified former judge of the Supreme Court, Katju is sure to have had a bird’s eye view of what was happening all around, not just in the judiciary but in the hallowed halls of power everywhere. He has as much of contacts with the movers and shakers of power. May God give Justice Katju the strength to speak up and expose more of such corruption, and it would be to his own good as well if he speaks up more and more against the dirty deeds of the UPA. This here is the time.

Grant Justice Katju sense. He had not said he would leave India if ever it happened to be governed by the likes of Narendra Modi. He knows well that in a democracy, it is the people who will decide who will govern them; not the self-styled semi-intelligent crop who identify themselves as the intellectuals of the country, each of them being intelligent enough to have their personal agenda and interests to promote, and do it in a way that they give the impression that public good is at the centre of their cravings. What Katju had not said, UR Anantamoorthy from Karnataka had said in a moment when he put his senses on the back burner. And, such was Moorthy’s courage that, when Modi finally got into the PM chair, he began wailing from the rooftop of his home like a schoolkid: “Protect me, my life is in danger!” Not that Narendra Modi had gone hammer and tongs at him, but that someone sent a postcard saying a ticket would soon be booked for him to travel to Pakistan and be at peace with himself there. "Pack your bags," they had written to him.

UR Anantamoorthy might not have been averse to the idea himself. But, Pakistanis can no more be trusted, especially as one of the first acts of irrepressible Modi after he took power was to establish a line of communication with Prime Minister Sharif himself. What now is the guarantee that Anantamoorthy, a hardcore Hindu could be safe out there, more so when fundamentalists are out to make life miserable for all Hindus in Pakistan for a long time now. Sir Anantamoorthy, who once lorded over a university, can now live the rest of his life under the protection of gun-wielding cops. Post cards may have a humble look, but they are lethal too.

Justice Katju knows about democracy only too well. He said some time ago that "80 per cent of Indians are idiots," and wondered how democracy could go in the right direction in this country. That is some sense too. Or, why would a Modi come to power by fooling the people with claims like he was a former chaiwallah, and cock a snook at the likes of Mani Shankar Aiyer?

In unity lies strength. Modi, after all, is an unpredictable man; and knowing him as many would do, he might go any length. Honourable Justice Katju has changed his plate; it might or might not work. Anantamoorthy, on his part, took the other route: he has reconciled to the adage that silence is golden. Why court more trouble at this old age? And, why bite the UPA when it is already on its death bed? Let that credit go to Justice Katju.

But, it would not be a bad idea if like-minded people come together, stand together, and if possible fight together. After all, the cause needs to be upheld, secularism or no secularism. Modi so far is going slow, taking sure steps like an elephant. But, Modi could err too. Why not stand together and wait? After all, a large part of Modi’s strength today is the invisible support that the RSS and its well-maintained network across the country accord him. There is no guarantee that this support will go on and on. Modi has his interests, and RSS has its very own interests as well. In the meantime, his detractors can wait, or do some “exposes” if they so pleased.

After all, the English media is waiting in the wings to accommodate “exposes” of this kind. It comes easy, and without any expense by way of digging the slush out, doing a scoop or sweating it out on the streets. Exposes come on a platter. Simply publish!
indiahereandnow.com; premcee@gmail.com

Justice katju to the fore

By Prem Chandan Justice Markandey Katju is an honourable man. Katju was in the forefront of trashing Narendra Modi, in .....