Prasanna Parida
27 August 2010

[On Aug. 24, a self-appointed ‘people’s tribunal’ headed by Mr A.P. Shah, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, declared that the ‘victims’ of the 2008 violence in Kandhamal, Orissa, continue to suffer intimidation, and demanded state government protection for them. He wanted a special investigation team to re-examine allegations of sexual assault despite the fact that the most sensational rape case is falling apart in the sessions court at Cuttack! No attempt was made to balance the picture - to even acknowledge the brutal assassination of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and his disciple-sanyasis in his own ashram in Jalaspeta on Janmasthami day, Aug. 23, 2008.

Such is the state of indecent bias of persons holding exalted positions in the Indian judiciary. Justice Shah whined at not being elevated to the Supreme Court after his judgment de-criminalising homosexuality in India, and was supported by jurists who ran for cover after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy verdict exposed their role in India’s worst industrial crime. With the evidence of Justice Shah’s unwarranted and one-sided activism on Kandhamal before us - the organisers and jury of the illicit tribunal consistently refused to let tribal activist Hillary Singh to present his case before the gathering despite receiving detailed documentary evidence of his sufferings at the hands of the Christian fundamentalists - we can only say it is a blessing that this vicious anti-Hindu was not elevated to the apex court. Vijayvaani presents the usually purged side of the story - Editor]