Dilip Simeon's blog

NB - The following message received from a human rights activist in Bhubaneshwar speaks for itself.  Beneath it is a press release by the Campaign Against Fabricated Cases (CAFC), Odisha; and a brief report on an incident in Kotagarh on July 26, 2015. The activists have disclosed their contact details. All democratic-minded citizens should try and obtain more information about it and agitate for justice to the victims - DS "As you know, killing a Maoist is a very rewarding incentive for a police officer. Arresting a Maoist or killing her/him can bring monetary benefits, promotions, state awards to the police officially. Unofficially, the police can have unchallenged control and supremacy over the people - fetch bribes, luxuries and everything. That's why the police officers (backed by the Government) are in a mission to increase 'Maoist infested' districts and it has become a common practice to name a young adivasi/ dalit as a dreaded Maoist and then kill her/him b...

NB: It seems that vested interests have a strangle-hold over the Indian government, leading it to act against the very constitution that it is sworn to uphold and against the very people whom t is sworn to protect - DS Whether consent from tribal village councils is essential before using  forests  could hinge on a case being heard by the  National Green Tribunal  on the Thoubal multipurpose dam project, which has been under construction since 1989 in Manipur. The  tribal affairs ministry  has told the court it does not have the power or a mechanism to verify claims of state governments that consent of tribals had been sought under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, before handing over forests to industry. An affidavit stating its position was submitted by the tribal affairs ministry to the tribunal in July 2014. This has become the main point of contention in the court hearings.  The statement of the tribal affairs ministry is contrary to its p...

Memon’s execution has shown how the inheritors of the  Dharmashastra  – which lays emphasis on  prayaschitta  or atonement as a means to become “divine” – need only the minimal incitement provided by media hype to become bloodthirsty The year – about 2 nd  Century CE; the place – the flourishing port city of Puhar, also known as Kaveri Poompattinam; the story – the heart wrenching epic of Kovalan and Kannagi and of capital punishment gone wrong. Children of prosperous merchants, Kovalan’s debauchery leads the couple to penury. Hoping for new beginnings, the couple move to the bounteous land of Madurai – where Kovalan, whilst trying to sell Kannagi’s gold anklet filled with rubies, is beheaded without a trial as he is mistaken for the thief who stole the Queen’s anklet. The epic highlights the righteousness of the King and his consort, who give up their lives when they realise the injustice meted out to Kovalan and the insatiable wrath of Kannagi, who burns ...

NB: For those of us who have observed Indian justice at work for several decades, it is clear that partisanship and bias is entrenched in the administration and the courts. All we need do is to compare the workings of the system in the case of 1984 , 1992 (Babri Masjid demolition case); December 1992-January 1993 (Bombay riots for which the Srikrishna Commission was set up, and which named Bal Thackeray for instigating violence); 2002 , (Gujarat, for which convictions were secured in the teeth of official complacency, and for which activists are being punished); 2008 ( Kandhamal ) etc., on the one hand; with the manner in which it has pursued the bomb blasts of 1993.  ‘Yakub Memon hanging is justice, wish same zeal shown in 1993 riots cases’: Justice Srikrishna It is not merely this or that party that is at fault, it is the very ideology of communal revenge that has seeped into our state institutions. I wrote about this in an article commemorating the thirtieth anniversar...

NB : Now that our criminal justice system has decided to execute Yakub Memon, maybe the hon'ble judges will apply their minds to the violence instigated by the 'Parivar' and allow the "law to take its course" with regard to crimes committed in December 1992.  Is the 'Parivar' above the law? Here are some indications that this is indeed the case: Julio Ribeiro - Why we must listen to Rohini Salian Ipsita Chakravarty: The BJP is afraid of saffron terror probes because they point to the RSS "Since this new govt came, I have been told to go soft on accused": Special Public Prosecutor  "When it becomes ‘political’, justice breeds hatred and despair among those it singles out for attack. Those whom it favours, on the other hand, develop a profound contempt for the very value of justice, they know that it can be purchased by the powerful."  If the Government of India wishes to announce before the entire world that it punishes violenc...