The Brave Pedestrian

Justice (Retd) Swatanter Kumar is like MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN – amazing wizardry, plus massive legal muscle acting like bouncers to protect him from media glare. On 10 January 2014, former Supreme Court Judge Swatanter Kumar was named by the media as accused of sexually exploiting a law intern. The intern, with the help of senior counsel Harish Salve and Indira Jaising, and advocate Vrinda Grover, filed a PIL on 14 January. The prayer: Supreme Court must reconsider its policy of not inquiring into the allegations against judges. With lightning speed, WITHIN SIX DAYS, Delhi high court passed a temporary order in the Rs 5 crore defamation suit (CS(OS) 102/2014) slapped by Swatanter Kumar against Indian Express, Times Now and CNN-IBN (and, for good measure, the anonymous intern, the Indian Express reporter and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting). The order restrained the media from publishing or telecasting the allegations levelled on Swatanter Kumar, or even using his photos. A...

There is a conspiracy of silence over judicial non-accountability and arbitrariness. Unless we break this silence with specific case-studies that shock the conscience of the nation, judiciary will continue to be a standing monument of injustice. So let us start putting out interesting case studies of clearly idiotic judgments and orders (naming the judges, lawyers, parties and case numbers) and make the judges afraid of being shamed publicly. After discussing with some friend s, I have decided to publish a bilingual ENGLISH-HINDI BOOK OF 250 CASE STUDIES OF MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE. Being a journalist-designer-publisher-printer, I can personally do almost all of the work -- thus minimizing costs. Each case study will be summarized in two pages -- one each in English and Hindi. The English book will be of 250 pages approximately. Likewise the Hindi version. My promise is: I shall call a spade a spade, and write without mincing words -- never mind the possibility of being tried fo...

Dear fellow citizens, The Padma awards or state-level awards will always be politically motivated. Media publicity also generally goes to those of us who have a kind of celebrity status. So, how can we put the limelight on the hundreds and thousands of unsung heroes who are daily carrying on the battle for good administration in the government offices? How can we boost the confidence and power of the DARIDRA-NARAYAN AMONG ACTIVISTS, who wears chappals and frayed shirts, and travels by crowded trains, buses and foot to meet various public authorities and appellate authorities? For the past three years or so, I have dreamt of a magazine, website, video-documentary and book series on Contemporary Heroes of India – men and women struggling for good governance. They are not glamourous. They may be eccentrics. They may be boring because they obsessively talk about problems or public authorities. A few of them may feature in the local media from time to time, but the majority are i...