Thank You, Hon’ble Judges, for Giving us a Week We So Badly Needed

Politicians promised, but the judges actually delivered.

One of the perils of being a journalist is that you are expected to get ‘excited’ when faced with breaking news. It is immaterial whether you are covering horrific incidents of rape or terror attacks, earthquake or flood, riots or dacoity. Cover you must and with a new angle and possibly before others do.

We have had a number of such events in the recent past to get excited about. Mob lynching somewhere or love jihad (I wonder how love and war can co-exist. But they do, according to some) at some other. Beef eaters are attacked and children die in a hospital as oxygen supply gets disrupted. Many coaches of a train get derailed and floods claim many lives. And there has been Donald Trump and his antics and endless threats from China all along. We have to cover and react to all of them. There is no choice.

In the middle of so many ‘newsworthy’ events, we had a week that got us excited for different reasons altogether. It all began on Tuesday morning when we were busy discussing our to-do list in the editorial meeting. “The Supreme Court refuses to strike down the practice of triple talaq” is what came to us as the first piece of information. We could sense disappointment all around our newsroom. But that stayed only for a while. There was a sense of euphoria the moment we got to know that the apex court, with a majority of 3-2, termed triple talaq unconstitutional.

Politicians Promised but Judges Delivered

The judgment was followed by routine statements from important leaders terming the decision historic, landmark, pathbreaking and much more. But what was heartening to know was the reaction of those who matter – Muslim women. An overwhelming majority of them supported the decision. After all, they have been demanding a level playing field and the SC decision gave them a glimmer of hope.

There is bound to be a post-mortem of the decision. Some political parties will try and take mileage out of the verdict. Some fringe groups have voiced opposition while some others have talked about implementation challenges. But there is no denying that the decision is a major step forward in our quest for women’s empowerment. In that sense, we should be thankful to our judges.

Also Read: Triple Talaq Verdict: Muslim Women Are Cheering – But So Is BJP

SC Placed us Right at the Centre of Our Democratic Republic

But Tuesday’s decision proved to be just a trailer. The apex court delivered a truly momentous decision two days later. While we will have to wait for a while to get the full import of the decision, the Supreme Court has placed us right at the centre of our democratic universe. What it means is that henceforth there will be no inspection of food items in our fridge, no one is going to dictate to us what to eat or wear. All simple rights we should have acquired long ago but denied to us on some pretext.

What is more, pyar pe pehre nahi lagenge. Instead, pyar ke dushman may run the risk of being accused of breaching our right to privacy. If I have understood the apex court’s privacy judgment correctly, the verdict has given primacy to lok (people) over tantra (system) in loktantra (democracy). Is it not the kind of right we deserved to get long ago? The privacy judgment, in that sense, should go a long way in empowering citizens.

Also Read: With Right to Privacy, LGBTQ Community Has Reason to Rejoice

When the Judge Called a Spade a Spade

Only a day later, we got yet another judgment that put paid to unbridled ambition of a fraud masquerading as godman called Gurmeet Singh (I would not like to use Baba for him. I would not like to suffix Ram-Rahim either for a rape convict. Using such prefix and suffix will be an insult to all respected babas I know.) The verdict shows that there can be occasional exception, but the rule of law is here to stay and brave soldiers from all walks of life will walk the extra mile to make that happen.

These three verdicts have come at a crucial juncture. We had begun to have doubts about the role of dissent and discussion in a democratic system. There was some sort of troll army-led assault on the collective conscience of the nation. It was becoming like my way or the highway. All those dissenters, and I must add despite being an overwhelming majority, were being pushed to the margin. These judgments, I sincerely hope, will help bring some sanity to the proceedings.

Also Read: Journo Who Exposed Ram Rahim Killed 15 Yrs Ago, His Son Fights On