Arnab entitled to bail, but what about 3.5 lakh undertials, 83 yr old priest, 80 yr old poet?

Counterview Desk

Senior Mumbai-based human rights lawyer Mihir Desai, in a Facebook post, “tears in the hypocrisy of the judgement and the utter naiveté that informs the discussion about it in certain quarters”, comments Vistasp Hodiwala, adding, “It is the kind of stuff that only a lawyer of serious standing such as Mihir who deals with such cases day in and day out would be able to put up.”
Kavita Srivastava of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) notes, “Brilliantly said by Mihir Desai”, adding, “Yes bail not jail is the rule. Arnab Goswami deserved it. But two weeks ago, Dr Varavara Rao's bail application also came to them. They sent it back to the Bombay High Court. Well interim bail could have been granted right away.”
Srivastava adds, “The Supreme Court has established that we are two classes of people. Those like Arnab who not only get SLPs listed overnight and get bail and those who are lesser human beings. Not only are their applications dismissed but also continue being in jail with no relief. They have destroyed Article 14 and Article 21.”
This is what Mihir Desai wrote:

***

Was Arnab Goswami entitled to be released on bail? Of course. Bail not jail is the rule.
Are the 3,50,000, yes, three lakh fifty thousand undertrials (many of them for years and many for petty offences) who are as on 11th November 2020 in jails across India likely to get bail? More than 1,20,000 of them have been jail as undertrials for more than a year.
At some stage in their long prison life, may be, but within four days of arrest? Not in your wildest dreams.
Well okay, but as and when their cases are taken up, they would definitely get a three day hearing in high court and one full day hearing in Supreme Court? Sure if you are living in Greenland.
In any case our constitutional courts will never refuse to entertain a bail application directly since lower courts are so overloaded. If your case is “important” enough, if you are not from the marginalised section, if you can afford to pay tens of lakhs in fees to lawyers only then can you meet such eligibility criteria.
But Arnab is innocent? But all 3,50,000 undertrials are presumed innocent till they are found guilty.
But, Arnab has been maliciously prosecuted by the villainous police? Police and CBI and NIA are of course normally neutral.
See what a wonderful job they have done in arresting an 84 year old priest, an 80 year old poet, a 66 year old author, some lawyers who dare to fight for human rights, a pregnant student, (and a) journalist who dares to cover Hathras.
But come on... whenever the undertrials do get bail they will at least be immediately released from jail like Arnab?
Please do a reality check.
Arnab has been released on a personal bond but others will have to get one or two solvent sureties.
Is it the judiciary’s fault that they are poor and can’t get sureties and will continue to be in jail even after being granted bail?
But hey, Supreme Court has always said that personal liberty is the most important fundamental right.
Absolutely. That is precisely why they heard habeas corpus petitions within er... 12 hours, ok, no 12 days, my mistake 12 months?
Sorry, sorry, the Supreme Court is too overloaded don’t expect miracles.
Come on people stop grumbling we are in for great times.

Comments

Anonymous said…

Extremely disturbing trend. The SC is one institution, after the armed forces, that I thought could never be influenced, compromised or whatever. But I'm wrong. Where is India headed?

November 13, 2020

ani said…

A basic principle of the law — and of everyday fairness — is that we apply rules with consistency, and not based on what’s convenient or advantageous in the moment

November 14, 2020

70,000 migrants, sold on Canadian dream, face uncertain future: Canada reinvents the xenophobic wheel

By Saurav Sarkar* Bikram Singh is running out of time on his post-study work visa in Canada. Singh is one of about 70,000 migrants who were sold on the Canadian dream of eventually making the country their home but now face an uncertain future with their work permits set to expire by December 2024. They came from places like India, China, and the Philippines, and sold their land and belongings in their home countries, took out loans, or made other enormous commitments to get themselves to Canada.

Kerala government data implicates the Covid vaccines for excess deaths

By Bhaskaran Raman* On 03 Dec 2024, Mr Unnikrishnan of the Indian Express had written an article titled: “Kerala govt data busts vaccine death myth; no rise in mortality post-Covid”. It claims “no significant change in the death rate in the 35-44 age group between 2019 and 2023”. However, the claim is obviously wrong, even to a casual observer, as per the same data which the article presents, as explained below.

PM-JUGA: Support to states and gram sabhas for the FRA implementation and preparation and execution of CFR management plan

By Dr. Manohar Chauhan* (Over the period, under 275(1), Ministry of Tribal Affairs has provided fund to the states for FRA implementation. Besides, some states like Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra allocated special fund for FRA implementation. Now PM-JUDA under “Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan(DAJGUA) lunched by Prime Minister on 2nd October 2024 will not only be the major source of funding from MoTA to the States/UTs, but also will be the major support to the Gram sabha for the preparation and execution of CFR management Plan).

Operation Kagar represents Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism: Resistance continues

By Harsh Thakor Operation Kagar represents the Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism, which claims to embody the struggles and aspirations of Adivasis. Criminalized by the state, the Maoists have been portrayed as a threat, with Operation Kagar deploying strategies that jeopardize their activities. This operation weaves together economic, cultural, and political motives, allegedly with drone attacks on Adivasi homes.

How Amit Shah's statement on Ambedkar reflects frustration of those uncomfortable with Dalit assertion, empowerment

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Dr. B.R. Ambedkar remains the liberator and emancipator of India’s oppressed communities. However, attempts to box him between two Brahmanical political parties betray a superficial and self-serving understanding of his legacy. The statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha was highly objectionable, reflecting the frustration of those uncomfortable with Dalit assertion and empowerment.

This book delves deep into Maoism's historical, social, and political dimensions in India

By Harsh Thakor* "Storming the Gates of Heaven" by Amit Bhattacharya is a comprehensive study of the Indian Maoist movement. Bhattacharya examines the movement's evolution, drawing from numerous sources and showcasing his unwavering support for Charu Mazumdar's path and practice. The book, published in 2016, delves deeply into the movement's historical, social, and political dimensions.

Ideological assault on dargah of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti will disturb pluralistic legacy: Modi told

Counterview Desk Letter to the Prime Minister about "a matter of the utmost concern affecting our country's social fabric": *** We are a group of independent citizens who over the past few years have made efforts to improve the deteriorating communal relations in the country. It is abundantly clear that over the last decade relations between communities, particularly Hindus and Muslims, and to an extent Christians are extremely strained leaving these latter two communities in extreme anxiety and insecurity.

Defeat of martial law: Has the decisive moment for change come in South Korea?

By Steven Lee Late at night on December 3, soldiers stormed into South Korea’s National Assembly in armored vehicles and combat helicopters. Assembly staff desperately blocked their assault with fire extinguishers and barricades. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol had just declared martial law to “ eliminate ‘anti-state’ forces .”

Search This Blog