There is a growing consciousness among the thinking Indians that India is getting farther from the objective of securing justice for all. That is why courts are no longer considered to be the last resort for justice. Therefore, the legal luminary Justice Markandey Katju, who has long experience in the colonnades of justice, has hit upon the novel idea of setting up a court of last resort.
He is right in thinking that the poor, the downtrodden and Muslims, euphemistically referred to as “minorities”, etc. are being constantly denied justice and their just share in national life in terms of liberty and dignity is steadily decreasing.
In recent times a number of well-meaning journalists have brought to light hundreds of cases in which innocent Muslim youths have been implicated in concocted cases, and the courts have wrongly convicted them on the basis of fabricated evidence. In this respect the high sounding maxim, first promoted by BJP leader LK Advani, that all terrorists are Muslims though all Muslims may not be terrorists, has gained currency among common people and ready acceptance among a large section of journalists.
It is also evident that whenever some bomb blast targets innocents and terrorises common people, TRP hungry tribe of TV and print media indulges in all sorts of guess work suggesting involvement of Muslims or Muslim sounding organisations, thus strengthening the stereotype that a particular community is responsible for all acts of terror in otherwise peaceful India. This constant demonization perpetuates the marginalisation of the largest minority by further increasing the level of prejudice in Indian society. This, in its turn, contributes to the polarisation of society on communal lines leading to fragmentation. The net beneficiaries of this are the fascist forces who are experts in fishing in troubled waters to achieve their narrow ends and the ultimate losers are India and her peace-loving people.
Let us extend our active cooperation to this proposed court, which is being launched on 15 April. This move to educate public, sensitise police, pressurise authorities and immunise media will certainly go a long way in promoting justice and protecting innocents. Let lawyers, judges, academicians, and all other lovers of justice wholeheartedly support this noble move of Justice Katju and his well-meaning associates.