#HumDekhenge Trends On Twitter As People Show Solidarity With Prashant Bhushan
On Thursday, as the Supreme Court heard
arguments on sentencing in the contempt case against Prashant Bhushan,
political party Swaraj India organised a protest in solidarity with the senior
advocate. Earlier in the day, the court had rejected Bhushan’s plea
for hearing of his sentencing by another bench. Last week, Bhushan was
held guilty
of contempt of court for over two tweets about Chief Justice of India
S.A. Bobde and the Supreme Court.
The court had said they could not be counted as a fair
criticism of the functioning of the judiciary made in the public interest. Live Law quoted Bhushan as saying in court, “I am pained at the
verdict that the Court held me guilty. I am pained that I am grossly
misunderstood. I am shocked that the court concluded at the conclusion without
providing any evidence about my motives.” It also reported Bhushan as quoting Gandhi: “I do not ask
for mercy. I do not appeal for magnanimity. I cheerfully submit to any
punishment that court may impose.”
Over 1,800 advocates had signed a statement asking for an open court hearing by
a larger bench after the pandemic was over. After last week’s verdict, senior
advocate Indira
Jaising had told HuffPost India that it was “bad news
for free speech”. While the hearing went on, #HumDekhenge trended on Twitter.
Swaraj India, a political party that Bhushan was a part of, began tweeting with
the hashtag, apart from holding a physical protest outside the Supreme Court.
Soon, many others picked up the hashtag, calling for justice for Bhushan. Hum Dekhenge, a Urdu poem written by Faiz Ahmed
Faiz, was a protest call during the anti-CAA protests recently. It was penned as a mark of protest against General Muhammad
Zia-ul-Haq’s regime in Pakistan. Here’s what people said on Twitter:
We the People of India will Judge the Judges.... We are With Prashant Bhushan
