Pairokar

         One often wonders and marvels at the will and commitment of UP Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath to maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in the state. Some forces at the instance of their masters sitting inside and outside the country were hell-bent on creating disturbances and communal tensions in Uttar Pradesh at the time of Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti but thanks to the alacrity and firmness of the Yogi government not even one untoward incident was reported from any part of the state. These forces got frustrated and they gave vent to their designs in other states by staging communal riots.   When the Varanasi court this month itself directed for the preservation of Shivling in the Gyanvapi and for making alternative arrangements for the Waju (ablutions) of the permitted number of Namajis, it was feared that the state would be engulfed in extreme turbulence, but nothing happened in any part of the state despite extreme provocations by the likes of Owaisi and others. A few day

 Some people, who have neither any understanding of media nor its constitutional position, have been making thoughtless and stupid demands for the Journalist Protection Act. Some bluff masters have even been circulating the rough draft of the Act, which they are proposing in their delusion to be introduced in Parliament. These self-styled leaders or champions of media freedom have never stood by journalists in their thick and thin, weal or woe. It must be reiterated here that there is no mention of freedom of the press or media in the constitution of India. It is the freedom of speech and expression that was hotly debated in the constituent assembly, and it finds a pride place in Article 19 (1) as a fundamental right. Part III and Part IV of the Indian Constitution deal with Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy., While Fundamental Rights are enforceable and justiciable, the Directive Principles of State Policy, are neither enforceable nor justiciable but the stat

   I have heard ad nauseam that Asaduddin Owaisi is a Barrister by profession as he studied at the prestigious Lincoln’s Inn of London. However, I must confess that I have neither seen him arguing any case nor read any reported judgments argued by Shri Owaisi, yet he is praised for his very sharp forensic knowledge. I have sometimes heard his envenomed speeches in Parliament and other public meetings, but they have never been able to appeal to the reason or logic of any person of average prudence. Therefore, those who often eulogise him for his in-depth learning are not objective observers but the blind followers of his noxious politics.   Although the number of lawyers in politics is certainly higher than other professionals yet most of them have neither shone in politics nor in the legal profession. Politics is an altogether different ballgame, and the brilliance of lawyering or advocacy does not play a very significant role. Many lawyers have certainly made a mark in the legal pro

 Looking at the photographs and videos of Shivling found in the Gyan Vapi of Varanasi, anybody can say without any doubt, that it could not be a fountain as it is being made out by some Muslim leaders. I have seen this place scores of times during my student days at BHU and always felt that Muslims should themselves come forward to hand it over to Hindus to amicably take out the thorn of contention. The frescoes of deities on the walls of Masjid and the continuous looking of Nandi Bull leave no one in doubt about the location of Shivling.    The claim of some Muslim leaders about the Shivling as a fountain is farfetched. Firstly, there was no concept of any fountain in any Houj meant for waju (ablution) at the entrance. Secondly, it could not have been possible to have a modern fountain more than three hundred years ago when the part of the temple was demolished to convert it into a mosque. Such fountains can be operated only through electricity, which was unheard of. Hence, by seeing

  It is an oft-repeated statement that the Supreme Court of India is Supreme, not because it is infallible but because it is final.  While hearing the constitutionality of section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code, which relates to the offence of sedition, the Supreme Court has put its operation in abeyance till it is reconsidered by the government of India to which it has agreed. With all humility and respect, I feel that this interim order of the Supreme Court is unjustified. There are no two opinions that civil liberties are to be balanced with the security of the state. The Union Home Secretary has already stated on oath that no FIR involving sedition would be registered until an officer of at least SP rank records in writing his/her satisfaction.     After all, how are you going to deal with such people who openly shout slogans and provoke the public to rise in revolt against India till its Barbadi (ruination)? Or 'Bharat tere tukde honge hazar' (India will splinter into thou

                    Remove Encroachments to Make a Place Liveable     There is nothing to be surprised at in the way anti-encroachment drives at Jahangirpuri and Shaheen Bagh of Delhi were stiffly opposed and ultimately stopped.  Encroachments of public lands have been a very common and profitable business for politicians, police, and other civic authorities. It is done with the complicity of all.  At the outset, illegal colonies are allowed to come up by taking a certain amount of money from the settlers. Some mafia dons even take contracts for such illegal settlements, they share the money with politicians, police, and the minions of the corporation. Most of the settlers know it very well that even if they are uprooted, a piece of the free plot of 12 to 18 metres in any authorised area is assured for them. Thus, scores of resettlement colonies came up in Delhi some thirty years ago. These illegal settlers were helped by some NGOs, mostly foreign-funded.   Soon thereafter, private