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22 09/05/2018 NEWS LITERATURE POLITICS FASHION ART & CULTURE KIDS RELIGION FILMS www.samajweekly.com Justice Rajinder Sachar : A life dedicated to people’s movement, socialist vision and human rights One does not remember Justice Rajinder Sachar when he was the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court in 1985 but it is a fact that a forthright person like him was never to the liking of those in power. As a judge in Delhi High Court, he was deeply disturbed and upset with the lack of seriousness and justification of brutal massacres of the Sikhs in the aftermath of the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi. He spoke against it, passed orders but an interference from the then prime minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, who had a massive mandate in Parliament, Justice Sachar was denied hearing the cases related to 1984 pogrom in Delhi. He had been openly critical of the emergency in 1975 and was transferred from Delhi high court. That a chief justice of Delhi high court could not make it to the Supreme Court then we should understand that the loss was of judiciary and not the other way round. The rest is history. His ‘punishment’ became a boon for the civil liberty movement in India. Perhaps the period post retirement were more fruitful for him and for all those who got associated with him and engaged with him on issues of public concern. It is a reality that anyone who challenged those in power became victim of the power politics. The fact is that Justice Sachar’s name would come among the top three jurists of India for their remarkable contribution for the rule of law and standing upright to the power as well as defending civil liberties and human rights after they got retired from their ‘official’ work. In fact, they never got retired because all these legends did extraordinary work of service to public life after they demitted their office. They are Justice V R Krishna Iyer, Justice V M Tarkunde and Justice Rajinder Sachar. Interestingly, all the three might not be called the best in the legal profession yet their concern for human rights, human values and social inclusion put them at very high pedestal than those who might be called ‘constitutional experts’. All the three were actually political personalities and participated in political movements and hence the pro-people thoughts were part of their basic DNA. Justice Krishna Iyer was a Minister in the first left government in Kerala while Justice Tarkunde played a very important role during the emergency and was close associate of Jai Prakash Narain, though prior to that Tarkunde was part of the Radical Humanist party formed by M N Roy and Justice Rajinder Sachar came from a very illustrious family By Vidya Bhushan Rawat social and human rights activist background as his father was Bhim Sen Sachar was the chief minister of Punjab and an important leader of the Congress Party yet in thoughts and practice Justice Sachar was deeply influenced by Ram Manohar Lohia and his socialist thoughts in his very young age. In fact, he associated with various socialist political thoughts and talked about an alternative to both the Congress and the BJP. One of the pioneers of civil liberties movements in India, Justice Rajinder Sachar was a very humble person and easy to access. Unlike many other luminaries, Justice Sachar was more comfortable in sitting and talking with activists of the grassroots. He would stand in solidarity with all the secular liberal forces seeking justice and fair implementation of law. When the human rights organisations were putting pressure for a National Human Rights Commission, he was among very few involved in supporting initiative for it. He was well versed with International affairs and was appointed the UN rapporteur for the Housing Rights but his main concern was the issues of minorities in India and the growing hatred being spread by the Hindu right in India. Justice Sachar became a household name after the famous Sachar Commission Report that he submitted to the Union government in the year 2006 on the Social, Economic and Educational status of Muslim community in India. Nobody was expecting a miracle from this report. Many were skeptical about the ‘Lahore’ club as upper caste upper elite ‘seculars because Sachar Saheb and others who migrated from Pakistan actually never really bothered too much about the caste discrimination. They were thoroughly secular and would go to any extent to defend the rights of minorities but would rarely speak about the caste discrimination as an issue but the Sachar report surprised many because it did admit unambiguously that Muslims are not a monolith group as being made out and caste system exists among the Muslims in India. Though the issue of the Pasmanda Muslims were already gaining momentum but after the open admittance by the Sachar Committee that there are backward Muslims and they need to be identified and provided protection, the movement gained ground. Till date, a large number of Muslim elite institutions too avoided speaking about the caste discrimination among the Muslims terming it a lie and suggesting that Islam does not permit it but now they have realized that conversion to other religion does not actually remove our caste identity and prejudices remain the same. Justice Sachar was one of the most active members of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties and was very pragmatic person. People would go to him to seek advice whenever there was a crisis and his words were like final for many. While human rights were his primary concern yet he was an active political activist whose concerns about growing isolation of minorities particularly Muslims in India was shared by many. Not many among his profession were that forthright as Justice Sachar when he spoke about the politics of intimidation and marginalization of Muslims. It takes a lot of courage of conviction when a man of his stature spoke as why djd not government act against those Hindu dealers who are owners of the slaughter houses and export beef. At the time when beef and Muslims were made synonymous, Justice Sachar openly spoke how a majority of the beef exporters in India are Hindus which infuriated many in the Hindutva camp. Very few people know that Justice Rajinder Sachar had actually suggested a change in our electoral system and switch to proportionate electorate system. He submitted this to Justice Jeevan Reddy Commission suggesting that vote percentage and seat one must be the same. He was worried about the low voting percentage. When Campaign for Electoral Reforms in India actually organized a National Conference in Delhi in 2012, I had gone to invite Justice Rajinder Sachar for the meeting as I had found out that he had given a written submission to Justice Jeevan Reddy Commission. To my surprise, Justice Sachar said that he does not hold the same view now because now the Dalits and OBCs are coming in fair number in our parliament and no one party has the monopoly in our polity. Justice Sachar came to the programme and so did Justice D.S.Tewatia, former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, who he recommended. Ofcourse, that day, both of them disappointed. I was disappointed with the turn of event on part of Justice Sachar for not supporting the cause of proportionate electorate system. Like many others, The fact is that Justice Sachar’s name would come among the top three jurists of India for their remarkable contribution for the rule of law and standing upright to the power as well as defending civil liberties and human rights after they got retired from their ‘official’ work. In fact, they never got retired because all these legends did extraordinary work of service to public life after they demitted their office. They are Justice V R Krishna Iyer, Justice V M Tarkunde and Justice Rajinder Sachar. Interestingly, all the three might not be called the best in the legal profession yet their concern for human rights, human values and social inclusion put them at very high pedestal than those who might be called ‘constitutional experts’. he too felt it was a bit complicated. He wanted to focus on the other issues of electoral reforms such as corruption, criminalization of the polity and the most important part was that voting percentage must be above 50% if any candidate has to win. I feared that most of the ‘libertarians’ were afraid that the proportionate Electorate System would open a Pandora box and divide the already divided society and hence they wanted to keep it in cold storage. One thing remarkable about him was his enthusiasm and friendly approach to people. He was much in demand in the conferences, Dharanas and seminars and gave his subjects utter importance. I have observed him on many occasions where he would have spoken extempore but he came with notes and full presentation. He was very comfortable speaking on the issues of Muslims and minorities in India and was fairly popular among them. Hailing from Punjab, he knew the Islamic culture and was well versed with Urdu language. This was the reason he felt athome with the Muslim intellectuals and youths. Partition created psychological scars in both the Hindus and Muslims. Punjab and Bengal were the most affected regions. The world saw the biggest migration of people, unthinkable hitherto from one place to other. Millions were killed. People saw brutalities of worst kind. The Hindu Right worked among these communities in India and the Muslim rights in Pakistan feeding them with all kind of rumours about Muslims and Hindus relatively. That resulted in the large number of refugees in both the countries developed virtual hatred against each other. Their narrative would give worst kind of picture of their ‘enemy’. The ruling elite also encouraged such and got strengthened on the fear psychosis of the people. As a young person he Rajinder Sachar must have seen and felt this and yet he did not succumb to all these narratives and stories that was being regularly fed to people. It needs strong conviction and courage to stand up and challenge these popular narratives when the atmosphere was thoroughly polarized. Perhaps, this was his biggest strength to stand up with the people suffering because of their identity. He has seen Pakistan and the failure of it because of the religious right dictated political system and therefore failed it. In India, thankfully, the first generation of the political leaders despite their differences, were secular and liberal democrats and hence we survived as a democracy and gave minorities equal rights unlike Pakistan. Therefore, it need big courage to stand up against the popular narrative and speak for the rights of all which he did all his life. Right from the issue of Kashmir to those dying in communal violence whether against Sikhs in 1984 or Gujarat in 2002 or Mumbai in 1993, he was always there standing with the communities marginalized by the bureaucratic and administrative structure because of pure communal polarization. He had seen it in pre-partition days, the division and hatred it created and that is why he knew the repercussion of it which made him a person championing the cause of minorities and their rights. Justice Rajinder Sachar lived every moment of his life. There was never a dull moment for him. In fact he was very serious about socialist party and has been speaking to various people about its vision. At the age of 94 when most of his contemporaries avoided going to political protests, seminars and conferences, Justice Sachar was exception. The last time, we were at one platform was the huge public programme at the Talkatora Stadium organized by All India Milli Council where he spoke and defended the rights of the Muslims a citizen of India. His was the voice of See on Page 20
23 09/05/2018 NEWS LITERATURE POLITICS FASHION ART & CULTURE KIDS RELIGION FILMS www.samajweekly.com PADHO PUNJAB PADHAO PUNJAB The recent slogan "Padho Punjab Padhao Punjab" by the Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Amrinder Singh is a positive step. Punjab is a predominantly an agriculture state. In the colonial period, illiterate people from Punjab migrated to the British colonies to work as laborers in railways, mines etc. Those who migrated 60 years back to the British colonies did not upgrade their educational credentials despite abundant facilities in the developed world. Elderly Punjabis settled permanently in England, USA, Canada and in European countries remained illiterate. The current status of education system in the state of Punjab is dismal. In his article, "Socio-Economic Crisis in Punjab"by Ranjit Singh Ghuman"observed that "Education in rural Punjab has almost collapsed. The process started in the 1980s and there has been no resurgence till date". The dropout rate of students belonging to marginalized groups in rural government primary schools is more than 85%. According to education department of more than 2667 primary, upper primary schools do not have enough teachers. The shortage of qualified teachers is a big challenge in fulfilling the mission. The transfer of teachers from one place to another place and extra administrative duties has disheartened the Top UK diplomat calls Golden Temple a mosque, apologises LONDON: Simon McDonald, the head of Britain’s diplomatic service in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, apologised on Tuesday for calling Golden Temple a mosque during a visit to Amritsar. On Monday, McDonald had tweeted, “At Queen’s Birthday party, presented with picture of The Queen at Golden Mosque in Amritsar in 1997, a permanent memento for Deputy High Commission’s wall.” The gaffe came amid increasing Islamophobia that has made Sikhs vulnerable as they are often mistaken in the West as Muslims owing to their beards and headgear. He was widely criticised on social media, and campaign group Sikh Federation (UK) gave him 24 hours to apologise to the community. McDonald then tweeted: “I was wrong: I am sorry. I should of course have said the Golden Temple or, better, Sri Harmandir Sahib.” Bhai Amrik Singh, chair of the federation, said: “This was a major gaffe by a top civil servant and totally unacceptable. It demonstrates a remarkable Indian Prime Minister snubs Ambedkar Statue at Ambedkar House London On the evening of 19th April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to make a scheduled, and much, publicised stop in North London. In an attempt to flee from less than half a dozen peaceful and silent protesters, he ended up snubbing British Dalits and dedicated Ambedkarites by failing to visit Ambedkar House at 10 King Henry’s Road, Chalk Farm, London and unveil a statue of Ambedkar as scheduled. The silent protest by a group of Ambedkarites who had hoped to ask the Indian Prime Minister about the escalating violence against Dalits and minorities in India since he came to power apparently led to Mr Modi cancelling his visit and calling off the inauguration ceremony abruptly. A spokesperson for CasteWatchUK said ‘ I wonder if PM Modi would have called off the inauguration at the last minute if, instead of the teachers. The media reports indicate that the working teachers are utilized by the education department for various political ends by successive governments. The author conducted an interview with more than 50 government and private primary and higher school teachers in district Jalandhar, Punjab and found that the majority of students want to go to the developed countries such as England, Canada, USA, European countries. Several studies conducted in the past demonstrates that migrated students from Punjab largely end up in doing labor jobs in the western countries. There is need to change mind set of the students of Punjab. In globalized world, only educated and skilled workers are welcome. The government of Punjab must organize workshops in urban and rural areas of Punjab to educate the students and the parents. There is need to sensitize this important issue in the larger interest of Punjab. The time and energy of the working teachers need to be utilized to impart holistic education to the students. Padho Punjab and Padhao Punjab mission can only be fulfilled if drastic changes are made in the education system. (Rahul Bali, Senior Correspondent, the Asian Independent, New Delhi) level of ignorance from someone in his position.” “What hope is there for the average person to distinguish between Sikhs and Muslims, if someone holding his position can make such a massive blunder while visiting the Sikh homeland?” he added. It must be mentioned here that in Canada, where too Sikhs are in a significant number for decades, Jagmeet Singh, who belongs to the community and became the first visible minority leader to head a political party, had refused to clarify that he is not a Muslim when a woman heckled him after mistaking him for one at a campaign event last year. However, Amrik Singh said, “Unfortunately, it is this sort of ignorance or ‘mistaken identity’ that breeds hate and has resulted in Sikhs being abused, attacked and in some cases killed across the globe since 9/11.” He added, “A public apology and admitting the mistake is not enough. What we need is a commitment from the UK government and senior civil servants to root out such ignorance and discrimination or we will continue to face hate, abuse and threats of violence.” Ambedkar statue, it had been a statue of Gandhi, Sardar Patel, or any other of India’s late national leaders. It is an insult to Ambedkar and a snub to Dalits. As such it exposes the hypocrisy of PM Modi’ I tell you, Religion is for Man and not Man for Religion. If you want to Organise, consolidate and be successful in this world, change this religion. The religion that does not recognise you as a human being, or give you water to drink, or allow you to enter in temples is not worthy to be called a religion. The religion that forbids you to receive education and comes in the way of your material advancement is not worthy of the appellation 'religion'. The religion that does not teach its followers to show humanity in dealing with its co- religionists is nothing but a display of a force. The religion that teaches its followers to suffer the touch of animals but not the touch of human beings is not a religion but a mockery. The religion that compels the ignorant to be ignorant and the poor to be poor is not a religion but a visitation! Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Supreme Court should not interfere in Sikh religious matter says Sarna Rahul Bali Senior Correspondent, the Asian Independent, UK Honorable Supreme Court has asked the relevance of Sikh turban in response to a Sikh cyclist’s petition refusing to wear a helmet. Sikh Turban is a part of Sikh religious identity. Guru Gobind Singh, a fighter and upholder of Sikh traditions asked his followers to wear turban to establish identity. The feats of bravery of Sikh people during 1857 mutiny deserve admiration. An article appeared in Blackwood Magazine in 1857 praised Sikh religion, declaring it to be a faith `which is by far the purest and freest from the burden of forms and rituals and its distance from Hindu superstition and caste restrictions. From colonial times till date, the contribution of valiant and martial Sikh people in establishing peace and harmony in the world is commendable. Sikh Diaspora has been contributing to the Indian economy. Sikh Diaspora Philanthropic activities in the state of Punjab and in UK, USA, Canada, Spain, Australia is well documented; helping in establishing hospitals, schools, universities and village roads. CANADA ROUNDS UP ‘ISI-BACKED’ SIKH HARDLINER CHANDIGARH: Canadian authorities have reportedly ‘rounded up’ and ‘questioned’ Hardip Singh Nijjar, Pakistan InterServices Intelligence (ISI)-backed Sikh hardliner, for allegedly running training camps for terrorists. Indian authorities had issued a lookout circular against Nijjar on January 23, 2015. Punjab Police have Nijjar on its list of most-wanted Khalistanis. His name was also on the list of nine wanted Khalistanis that chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh had given to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his recent India visit. Intelligence wing officials with the Punjab Police claim that Canada questioning Nijjar was a big diplomatic win and had resulted due to the pressure that the state had created. “Nijjar was rounded up on the basis of crucial intelligence input that the Indian government provided. He was released after questioning and is now under strict vigil for his anti-India activities,” a police source said. Reports from Delhi suggest that over the last week, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case against Nijjer for anti-India activities. Police also claim that Nijjar had been organising training camps in the Canadian province of British Columbia at the behest of the ISI. Nijjar has refuted the allegations. Born in 1977, he is from Jalandhar district and is now based in Surrey, Canada. He is wanted in Punjab in various cases, including a bomb blast near a temple in Patiala in 2010. He is also accused of hatching a conspiracy for a Khalistani terror module that has killed various Hindu leaders in Punjab over the past two years. Across the globe, Sikh people fought legal battles with the local government of England, France, USA, and many other countries to protect their Sikh identity and won. Parmajit Singh Sarna of SADD warned honorable Supreme Court not to interfere in religious matters of any community anymore. He stated “You have a lot on your plate already. Perform your primary duty to protect the legal, human, civil and religious rights of the people that are under attack. Intoxicated by power, don’t be delusional that the Sikhs will accept your ludicrous interference in their religion hands down. We will just not”.The malicious attempt by any law enforcing agency in India and abroad will be sternly met by the Sikh organizations. Asst passport officer files trespass plaint against MLA Bains LUDHIANA: Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) chief and MLA from Ludhiana’s Atam Nagar constituency, Simarjeet Singh Bains, faces trouble after assistant passport officer at the city’s Passport Seva Kendra filed a police complaint, accusing him of trespass on Tuesday. The officer, Yashpal, has submitted the complaint to police commissioner SS Gill. According to the complaint , Bains, with his armed gunmen and 10-15 supporters, ‘trespassed on the centre about 12.50pm on August 29, 2017, and that too without any permission or prior appointment’. It was not immediately clear that why the complaint was being filed after the delay. The officer has alleged that Bains and his supporters started making videos with their mobile phone, spreading panic and leading to applicants fleeing the premises. When contacted, police commissioner Gill said, “A complaint has been received. We have started investigation.” Bains could not be contacted despite repeated attempts as his phone remained switched off.
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