Known to be judiciously apathetic
towards its basic duty leading to a humongous backlog of pending cases, the
Supreme Court of India suddenly appears to have woken up from its deep slumber.
With judgments being dished out left and right with ferocity it is being alleged
that the judges are high on something, caffeine maybe! But apparently that is not
the case.
If sources are to be believed, this
sudden overactive attitude is due the addition of a new parameter called ‘Dark Age Decrees’ to the judges’ appraisals.
Though self-explanatory, this is aimed at encouraging them to give rulings with
the sole objective of sending India back to the Dark Ages, a noble cause
indeed!
In light of the same the Supreme
Court yesterday in a ‘morally right ruling’
upheld the 150 year old Section 666
of IPC criminalizing everything against Indian culture. In short, banning
everything morally ‘un-Indian’ and thus ‘un-natural’. To add
on to that the responsibility of deciding what is un-Indian and unethical has been placed on the most honorable group
of individuals in our country. Yes, believe it or not the onus has been
relegated on the fair shoulders of ignorant
religious organizations and ofcourse the ‘highly esteemed’ intolerant
section of our society like uneducated politicians; true rare gems of India
certainly.
Judge ‘Archaic’-Medes read out
a 100 page judgment, some of the highlights of which are noted here to prevent
you from inadvertently breaking any laws. So here’s what the Supreme Court
Judge had to say.
-
Eating Pizza, which is believed to be a vice
from Italy and thus very much ‘Un-Indian’, is one of the many food items the
intake of which has been criminalized. According to the judge, the food habits
of the rest of the world do not go well with our
Indian-ness. Moreover, since it is only a miniscule fraction of
this country’s population which gets food anyways rules couldn’t be changed for
an insignificant percentage.
- Wearing night suits in bed rooms has been banned
from here after as night suits are not Indian attires. Women would need to wear
sarees covering their heads while men
dhotis and pagdis while going to
sleep.
-
Having reading lamps in bedrooms is forbidden as
the first light bulb was not made by an Indian, thus making these greatly ‘Un-Indian’
and thus ‘Un-natural’. The judge also advised that the bulbs in use in other
countries cannot be blindly used in India.
-
Right to
Upholding
Archaic Indian and 18th Century British Beliefs would take
precedence over Right to Privacy, Autonomy and Dignity.
-
Religiously misguided views are imperative and
are to be taken seriously as against the basic right to live. The judge
categorically stated that even though an individual’s choice doesn’t harm
another individual, the action would be illegal unless approved by orthodox
religious organizations.
-
Rapes of women, on the other hand, since very
much a part of our social fabric has been exempted from
Section 666 of IPC and the tag of being ‘Un-natural & Un-Indian’.
Infact, the judges have recommended to de-criminalize rape cases around the country.
So what is you
view of the judgment? But wait. Before you answer contemplate if sharing of
your views is criminal or not as per our Supreme Court. Infact if you are a
woman you need to think even harder. Why you ask? It is because antediluvian
India never really believed in the free speech for women. And since the ruling
was clearly based on resisting decent and evolving practices of the world, your
answer if not within these guidelines could actually land you in jail!
****
While
I use the above satire to comprehend the ridiculous judgment passed yesterday,
here’s what I believe: The judgment by the Supreme Court of India which made
homosexuality a crime is a great blow to the basic Right to Live. India already
has its share of intolerant individuals and groups which make life miserable
for all with the latter’s prejudiced views on religion, caste, creed, regions
and more. We didn’t need the Supreme Court to provide them with more
ammunition. Perhaps they could have used this vigor for sentencing to death the
so called minor in the Nirbhaya Rape Case. It’s appalling and sad. Indians as
it is have no hopes from those in power but now the judiciary seems to be in a
different tangent altogether. A sad judgment, a regressive ruling, a black mark
on Indian and Supreme Court’s History for sure!