Archives: Overviews

A week or so back, a court dismissed a public interest litigation. It was no landmark judgment in that sense. But it had a message for many morally-upright people in this hallowed land. The Delhi High Court on July 29 dismissed two petitions that sought a stay on the reality show Sach Ka Saamna. The court was clear in what it said, "Our culture is not so fragile that it would be affected by one TV programme." The point is not whether the reality show is good, bad, or ugly. But why many in this country have this innate, burning desire to play the moral police. The problem is...

The Times of India has something about this hitherto-unknown outfit: [Link] Sri Rama Sena is a pro-Hindu apolitical organization based in Hubli and promoted by Promod Mutalik, who floated the organization after parting ways with the BJP a few years ago. The organization is known for celebrating all Hindu festivals on a grand scale but is infamous for creating communal tensions and moral policing. It claims to be a ``protector'' of swadeshi ideology and Hindutva. ...

CNN-IBN has a short list of incidents of moral policing in the country in recent times: [Link] In April 2007, the Mumbai Police overstepped their brief by booking nearly 100 couples at Bandra sea front, under sections of vulgarity and obscenity. Hindu Rashtra Sena vandalised Star News office the same year for carrying news of an intercaste couple who had eloped. VHP and Bajrang Dal came out in full support of cops of Meerut who went around town beating couples in parks in 2005. Three years ago a girl was allegedly harassed by fellow students for wearing jeans and T-shirt at the...

The Indian Express has a list of some recent incidents: [Link] May 6, 2007: Twenty-seven activists of the little known ‘Karnataka Yuva Vedike’ attacked Athena Pub at Leela Palace Hotel on Airport Road in Bangalore. The activists had asked all the customers at the pub to vacate, and had gone on rampage. August 10, 2008: The activists of ‘Karnataka Rakshana Vedike’ attacked a group of 35 people, who were holding a Rave party at Manchanabele Dam in Maradi Taluk. The police had later arrested all the 35 people including a Spaniard and...

There have been so many incidents involving MF Husain’s art in recent times that one would have lost count. All, not surprisngly, have come from the Hindu fringe of rightists of our country. When alleged Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists vandalised the Husain expo at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on August 24, they were able to demonstrate only one thing – that going on a rampage is the only form of self-expression that they know of. It subsequently came to light that the attack was carried out by a hitherto unknown band of Hindu rightwingers called the Shri Ram...

The Supreme Court has restrained trial courts from issuing nonbailable warrants (NBWs) at the first instance on complaints by the “moral police” and when the accused can be presented in the court by a mere summon. Justice Bhandari, writing the judgment for the bench, issued a three-point set of guidelines to lower courts for issue of nonbailable warrants. [Link] In many cases, including Shilpa Shetty and Richard Gere controversy, nonbailable warrants were issued on the very first hearing by the trial courts. ...

When the protests against the Mohammed cartoons were raging last year, many European publishers had asserted that the freedom of expression precludes the right to insult. The arguments were clouded in a situation where not being seen as anti-Islamic was taken to be the politically correct stand to take. So, irrespective of what you believed was right or wrong, you had to tow the line of political correctness and denounce the Mohammed cartoons. The point here is not about the cartoons, but that of the right to insult. If you don't delve into it, you can look at the flipside — the...

The Times of India, a few days back, carried a brifer on the who's who of the moral police in India (Serial Offenders On Morality Frontline; April 19, 2007). It is worth carrying it here: Shiv Sena: The biggest moral police. It’s most famous cop Pramod Navalkar has run campaigns against prostitution, 'vulgar' hoardings, pictures in compromising positions. Sena has been at the forefront of 'anti-Indian culture' Valentine's Day. But had organised the Michael Jackson show. Sambhaji Bridage: Founded by Maharashtra PWD engineer Purshottam...

Rakesh Shukla, a Supreme Court advocate, has interesting comments to make about morality plays [Link] It would be no exaggeration to say that 90 per cent of the programmes would fall within the ambit of Section 19 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, which empowers an authorised officer of the rank of sub-divisional magistrate to prohibit any programme or channel not in conformity with the programme code. In addition, Section 16 provides that individuals and companies can be punished with two years' imprisonment for a first violation and five years for a...

In June, music channels faced a lot of music. There as a court case, and there was a diktat from the information and broadcasting ministry asking these channels to apologise (yes, apologise) for telecasting "obscene" music videos. The same month, writer Sunil Gangopadhyay managed to escape for allusions to fantasising about a Hindu goddess. Music channels asked to apologise for obscene videos ...