Some Must Bow Down To Law, For Others, It Is The Other Way Round

Author: Vishweshwar Bhat
Publication: Vijaya Karnataka

[Shri Vishweshwar Bhat is the Chief Editor of 'Vijaya Karnataka'- a Kannada Daily from Bangalore. In an article published in this daily (on 18-11-2004), he deftly brings forth the truth that in our present day 'Secular' and 'Socialist' Bharat, Law could be a weapon to terrorise the helpless people, while the mighty ones are able to deflect it uncompunctiously. Written in the background of the arrest of the Kanchi Shankaracharya, this article needs to be read by all thinking persons, who are silently watching the development. An English translation of the article is being made available to you for your perusal by Rashtrotthan Research and Communication Centre (RRCC).]

Possibly, no one expected this to happen. And, such an incident can happen only in our country.

A meticulously organized effort is under way to make the people suspect Swami Jayendra Saraswati, the most revered head of the Hindu Religious Centre, Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, as a murderer. Let the court decide whether he is the one or not. It is not my point. My point is that he is already being treated as a murderer and has been subjected to many mazy questions. Even before the court's pronouncement that he is an offender, he is being treated as one. This, to me, is a most important question.

Tell me, where else in the world would you find such an ill-treatment met to a religious leader of the majority community of the country?

Let me remind. The Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt, is a hoary institution established by Shri Adi Shankara which sanctifies our land, Bharata Varsha. The head of such an adored institution is now being ill treated. His arrest at the dead of the night, that too on the eve of the Diwali festival, when he was engaged in a special pooja, and then forcing him to travel overnight hundreds of miles (from Mehboob nagar in AP to Chennai), placing him in a lock up as if he is an ordinary culprit, ruling out a request made on his behalf to place him in house arrest, and exuberant hailing of this by the Dravidian parties- all this makes one to smell a well organized plot. It is really painful that the administration did not feel like showing the ordinary curtsy to such an elderly, revered head of an important religious institution, when he was being taken into custody.

Strange things happen in this country. A murder takes place in the broad daylight and people who witness it, simply sighingly disregard it (because they know that high and mighty are behind it). Governments keep quiet when the culprits belong to certain castes or religious creeds. The chief accused in the multi-crore stamp paper scam was said to have been put behind the bars, but all know that it was only for record's sake that he was in jail. Other wise, he lived a five-star luxury life and was even moving out in posh cars with a live-band set to continue his operations. He could get any thing and every thing done by using his mobiles in the full knowledge of Ministers and the Government! Not even a hair of this criminal was daringly touched.

Industry Minister of Kerala, Mr. Kutty, all know, is involved in a sex scandal. His offence is beyond doubt, a number of witnesses being there. Any society that comes to know of a person of such ugly crimes, will not have him as a Minister even for a minute. No court is necessary to indict him. Yet, so far, no action has been taken against him. A reporter of the 'Matrubhoomi' daily who wrote about this Minister's exploits was assaulted. Similarly, another photographer was chased and man-handled. The Chief Minister dares not to ask the resignation from this Minister, because, the Muslim League, the party to which he belongs, has resolved that come what may, it won't allow him to be punished because his punishment would amount to the defaming of the party! such being the case, where is the law? Whither this democracy?

In the Kanchi Seer's case, statements are being increasingly bandied that- 'no one is above the law, however eminent the person be, he has to bow down'. Fine. True, no one is above the law. Legal pronouncements are to be obeyed by all. But should that not be equally applicable? Look what's actually happening. The Imam of Jama Masjid had been summoned at least six times to appear before a Court of Law. He did not do so. Then the Court ordered a warrant which could not be even served on him! No body asked why? Of course, there is no use in asking such a question. Because, it is evident that the very law which expects all to bend before it, will bow itself out in some specific cases. The Government knows about the culprits who dared an attack on our parliament house. It has ample profs. Even telephonic message records have been secured. Since they know who master minded the crime, the law has been allowed to keep silent.

Take the case of Laloo Prasad Yadav. He has earned the fame for having sucked the state of Bihar dry during a span of fifteen years. He successfully sucked from every source. He could munch even the animal fodder to the tune of a hundred crores. When he was so nibbling, no body could notice it. Now that every body has noticed, nobody can do anything about it. A court ordered him to prison. He happily went in. How that prison life for him was, is well known. It was a posh bungalow with all amenities there in. There were servants waiting on him to meet his requirements. His food was being prepared in his home and was being served by his wife, Smt. Rabdi Devi, who was also the Chief Minster of the State. Any body could freely visit him and also, he could summon state officials for giving them instructions. The Income-Tax officials who were thinking of initiating an action against him, because of accumulation of wealth far in excess to his known sources of income, were asked to keep quiet. All these go to show that the law was helpless and stood bowingly before him.

Tamil Nadu police have said that a sudden action against the Swamiji was necessitated because he had plans to escape into Nepal. Is it really believable that this aged and an ailing person, when being incriminated for a murder, is also being accused of planning to be a fugitive? Is he a Dawood Ibrahim, an Abu Salem? a Tiger Mammon? We had allowed Dawood, a committer of many heinous crimes, to easily escape from this county. Knowing fully well his present whereabouts, it appears we are not seriously trying to get him back! More importantly, when he was still with in the country, we had allowed him to freely conspire against us. It is now 10 years that he masterminded those serial bomb blasts in Mumbai. He is yet at large and we are sitting quiet as if we are not interested in catching him. Whereas we do little against the destablilishing activities of such anti-national elements, we accuse the Swamiji, who has not travelled to any foreign country and in fact, who thinks foreign travel as religiously forbidden and the one who can not even walk a length with out the help of his companions, that he was planning to escape into Nepal. Is this a tolerable accusation?

The DMK, as is well known, is criticizing and nagging Shri Jayendra Saraswati for the past thirty years. You might not have forgotten that in 1991, when Swamiji was passing through Saidapet in Chennai, some DMK workers instigated by Shri Karunanidhi, had pelted stones and cow dung against him. DMK, has since not let go any occasion that would bring slur on Shri Kanchi Mutt. Before to the recent Loksabha elections, Shri Karunanidhi had accused that Smt Jayalalitaa had applied the Anti-Conversion Law in Tamil Nadu as per the desire of the Swamiji. And, soon after the election defeat, Smt Jayalalitaa had repealed it. Smt Jayalalitaa is frightened at the core that she would be demolished in the ensuing Vidhan Sabha elections if she does not sizably get the minority support.

It might be that Shri Karunanidhi has designed a strategy to put Smt Jayalalitaa in a dilemma in this murder case. His aim is to renew the Dravidian Movement by accusing Smt Jaya a 'Sanatani', if she were not to arrest Shri Jayendra Saraswati. And, if she puts him behind the bars, she is sure to lose the Hindu votes. Calculatedly, he is going to be the beneficiary of any of her options.

DMK had lost its nerves because of the heightened popularity of Smt Jayalalitaa following the killing of the brigand, Veerappan. Smt. Jaya is also entertaining a fear that the newly appointed Governor could some how be pressurized to dismiss her Government on any manipulated ground. That's why she must have moved swiftly to arrest the Swamiji. This would not only prevent Shri Karunanidhi to come to the streets, it would also help her to keep the leadership of the Dravida Movement for herself. It is reasonable to think so in the prevailing political scenario in Tamil Nadu.

In this cut-throat politics, the real loser would be the Hindu Dharma. True, no body is above the Law. But it is also true that there is no law for the mighty. Now, tell me, how much secure is the majority community in our country?