Lawyers Withstood Pressures and Defended Activists in the Bhima Koregaon Case
Published on: 1 January 2021, 10:01 am
Lawyers who defended activists in the Bhima Koregaon case risked being branded anti-national, but they believed that they were innocent and it was necessary to uphold the rule of law and constitutional values, says NIHALSING B RATHOD.
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As we leave behind 2020, with a new hope to resume our life, we leave behind not just memories, but many blistering wounds. Wounds inflicted by our government. Wounds that came from the judiciary. Wounds that came from our own. The drama that this year was, is multidimensional. It has many parallel stories.
While the Godi media will use expressions like "masterstroke" and "historical" for every petty move by the powers that be, stories and details of the narration of victims would find space only in the non-mainstream media. But, victims also can create their own medium to both preserve and narrate their stories. Let us call it, "Trolly Times".
These two divisions are rapidly polarising society to two extreme ends. Ultimately, "rule of law," "constitutional morality", "due process", and the zealousness of the judiciary in guarding it all, will play a decisive role in the year to come.
The truth is that the faith of people in our judiciary is shaken. They now pin their hopes on individual judges and not on the institution. There is after all, "more than one Supreme Court of India". If the judge gives any unfavorable orders, social media indulges in name-calling. Then abuses like "pappu ne kharida isko" to "sanghi hai" are freely made. It's like a cricket match, if a player fails to perform he immediately becomes subject of abuse. The only difference is there they don't target the umpire, whereas here it's the umpire that remains the focus of attention.
“The truth is that the faith of people in our judiciary is shaken. They now pin their hopes on individual judges and not on the institution. There is after all, "more than one Supreme Court of India".
The Romila Thapar case, presented an opportunity to the Judiciary to retain control over the arrogance of the power. Alas it is turning out to be yet another ADM Jabalpur moment for the nation. What followed thereafter over period of more than two years, encouraged State and Non-State actors to assault its opponents in the most brazen manner.