Judiciary Should Be In Lokpal Ambit: Prasant Bhusan
By Nava Thakuria
20 November, 2011
Countercurrents.org
The Lokpal should cover the highest office in governments and also
the judiciary of India, such that the institution can deliver its duty
and responsibility to meet the expectation of huge populace of the
country, argues Prasant Bhusan, an eminent lawyer in Supreme Court of
India. Addressing a gathering of human rights activists in New Delhi,
Mr Bhusan also argues that thousands of false cases are being
registered against rights activist, advocate, journalists, peoples
from minority and tribal communities though out the country to keep
their voices down.
“But in most cases the activists do not get justice from the courts.
And surprisingly we cannot question the judicial system in our
country, because Indian judiciary is accountable to none. A section of
judges even start thinking themselves as Kings of modern time who
indulges in corruption taking advantages of impunities provided by the
present system. So we are insisting that the judiciary should be
brought under the Lokpal,” added Mr Bhusan, who is a member of Anna
Hazare’s core team.
Meanwhile various speakers at the consultation meeting on human rights
in the national capital emphasized for a stronger and affective
national network to pursue the movement for defending legal human
rights. Reposing faith on the judiciary of India, most of the speakers
argue that a systematic attack has been perpetuated by the authority
and the situation is turning bad to worst. They have also insisted
that National Human Rights Commission (of India) should be empowered
to take timely actions to upheld the rights of the citizens of the
country.
Some other speakers, while addressing the consultation meeting, which
was organized by the Human Rights Law Network and the World Sikh
Organization in collaboration with various other organizations at
India Islamic Cultural Centre, Lodi Road on November 19 and 20, 2011,
highlighted the recent attacks on Right To Information activists
through out the country and cautioned that the government is pursuing
for some changes in RTI act (with an aim to dilute the law). The role
of Press Council of India was also discussed and it was urged that the
PCI should be empowered to monitor the activities of a section of
newspapers that manufacture news with distorted facts.
Expressing concern at the deteriorated human rights scenario of the
country, veteran social activist Dr Binayak Sen admits that the Indian
judiciary system has to deliver amidst high expectations of people. “A
tendency has been grown by the authority and governments in our
country to term the human right activists as anti-national. So many of
them are arbitrarily subjected to threat, harassment, jailing and even
killing,” Dr Sen, who was jailed for many months following accusation
of being an anti-national.
Delivering the key-note address Paramjeet Kaur, widow of advocate
Jaswant Singh Khalra-a victim of Punjab police extra-judicial killing-
argued that the movement of Punjab was projected in a biased manner by
the government. Later it was added with a religious twist. The
movement in early Ninety in Punjab has snatched away the live of at
least 25,000 youths. The government initially tried to hide the
information but advocate Khalra disclosed the facts to the media.
Ms Kaur also mentioned the name of KPS Gil, former Punjab police
chief, who masterminded the extra judicial killings. She termed the
super cop as a killer of thousands of Punbai youths in the name of
counter terrorism operations in the State. Shocked in emotion, Ms
Kaur expressed her displeasure that Mr Gill was not punished but
awarded later by the government.
“Human rights activists have come under repeated attacks recently.
Right to Information activists have been killed and many have had
cases filed against them. Journalists have been jailed in criminal
defamation cases, have been attacked, some of them killed, and media
houses have had their offices ransacked. Tribal activists
particularly in conflict areas have been hounded by the police and
many of them are in jail today. The situation has never been so dire.
The need of the hour is to protect and defend human rights activists
in India today,” said Colin Gonsalves of HRLN, which is a collective
of lawyers and social activists dedicated to the use of the legal
system to advance human rights in India and the sub-continent.
Others who spoke in the meeting include Kavita Srivastav, Henry
Tiphagne, Iftikhar Gilani, Teesta Setalvad, Harish Dhawan, Mukul
Sinha, Suhas Chakma, Shoma Choudhury, Shailesh Gandhi, Santosh Koli,
Advocate Phoolka, RS Bains, Navkiran Singh, Arshad Andrabi, GN
Shaheen etc.
Nava Thakuria is a journalist based in Guwahati of northeast India
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