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 compounded by the fact that there are many shades of these morally-condescending lot. Either they indulge in rampant, wanton violence. Like ransacking art galleries. Like tearing apart film theatres. Or, they go to court. You know, like very urbane, urban people. After all, they can take recourse to archaic sections that still lurk in the Indian Penal Code.

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 Sena. This is probably where the problem lies. If you browse through the recent string of attacks by Hindu rightwingers on artists, playrights, couples all in the name of defending the Indian, nay Hindu, values of our society, you will find VHP and its fraternal organisations are not the main perpetrators.

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 right to take offence. Today's Hindustan Times carries an article (Painting the art world red) where art critic and curator Ranjit Hoskote talks about this right, which you see being enforced day in and out these days.

We don't need to poke fun at the Minister for Information and Broadcasting Priyaranjan Dasmunsi. He is well-nigh capable of doing it himself. The minister came up with ridiculous answers to the posers from Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate. You wouldn't know whether to laugh or to cry. In case you missed it, here are the highlights: Karan Thapar: Minister, you are missing the point. I don’t deny that you have the power to ban, you do. But I’m asking you, how you interpret the words ‘good taste’ and ‘decency’? Priyaranjan Dasmunsi: I feel proud of banning FTV for two months. I feel proud as an Indian, as a citizen conscious about the culture and the dignity of women. I feel proud of it. Karan Thapar: But you are not answering my question. I’m asking you a simple question: how do you understand the words ‘good taste’, ‘morality’ and ‘dignity’? Define to me what do you mean by them?

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 Khedekar, this little-known brigade's volunteers ransacked Bhadarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, for aiding US researcher James Lain, who allegedly made derogatory references to Chhatrapati Shivaji.

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