Hear, Hear. But Do Listen

Denying an accused bail for as long as two years is by any standards a travesty of justice.

Denying an accused bail for as long as two years is by any standards a travesty of justice. It is good therefore that the campaign for the release of Binayak Sen has finally achieved its objective. On 25 May, a vacation bench of Justice Markandeya Katju and Deepak Kumar granted him bail in less than 40 seconds. Shanti Bhushan, representing Sen, didn’t even need to say a word. Justice Katju said that two years was too long, bail granted. The Chattisgarh government counsel, Mukul Rohatgi, got up to argue. Take your seat, replied, Justice Katju. The audience was thrilled, one socialite-activist even started clapping! Luckily the judges didn’t hear it, for she could have been jailed for contempt. However, forgetting court protocol is a symptom of a larger problem. How would the activist have responded if the judge had denied bail? Hearing both sides is a principle of justice, which human rights activists must support. It helps when the tide turns against you.

About The Author

Shivam Vij