Fair, fast, forthright justice 'seems mirage' for Dalits, Muslims, other marginalized people

By Sheshu Babu*
It seems that judicial system is moving far away from major section of society, specially Dalits, marginalised sections, Muslims and women. Many recent instances are ample proof of this. While the brutal killing of Tabrez Ansari has made little progress, his widowed wife is still clinging on hope. Shaista Parveen has been a widow for three months, a month longer than her two-month marriage with Tabrez Ansari.
Similarly, a law student from Uttar Pradesh who accused Chinmayanand of rape has been jailed in extortion case. Her lawyer says she was 'dragged out of her house. She wasn't even allowed to use the washroom according to her lawyer. There is no end of list of such incidents.

Thus, in yet another a shocking incident of killing, two Dalit families, one Gupta and another Pal, have reignited the debate over honour killing. Twenty-three year old Abhishank Pal was burnt alive by Radhey Gupta for having an affair with his adopted daughter. It is doubtful if the victim ever gets justice and accused punished for the heinous offence.

Unresponsive system

These are but few examples to indicate the laxity of judicial and administrative system in the country. While the accused, mostly upper caste influential persons, are left scot-free, the victims, mostly weaker sections, Muslims women and Dalits are left groping for justice for years.
Justice is not only being delayed and denied but also becoming more and more biased towards those persons having control over political and economic system and who can reach top leaders for help. It is very sad that even judiciary is alienating the common public to a large extent. While the cases of murders of activists like Gouri Lankesh, Dhabholkar, Pansare, etc. drag on and on, so too the cases of less privileged people.
At present, a fair, fast and forthright justice system seems to be a mirage. More and more people are beginning to feel that they cannot get justice unless they struggle for long and tread a weary path. Even then, the scepticism of fair verdict remains strong and belief is on the vane.
---
*The writer from anywhere and every where is interested in civil rights

Comments

GreenTech Summit claims NCR as key green building hub, without pan-India comparison

By A Representative The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), under the Confederation of Indian Industry, held its GreenTech Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where industry representatives, policymakers and sustainability professionals discussed the adoption of climate technologies in India’s built environment.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Beyond the election manifesto: Why climate is now a kitchen table issue

By Vikas Meshram* March has long been a month of gentle transition, the period when winter softly retreats and a mild warmth signals nature’s renewal. Yet, in recent years, this dependable rhythm has been disrupted. This year, since the beginning of March, temperatures across vast swathes of the country have shattered previous records, soaring to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius in some regions. This is not a mere fluctuation in the weather; it is a serious and alarming indicator of climate change .

India has been getting its economic growth wrong for two decades, say top economists

By Jag Jivan* India's official GDP figures have misrepresented the trajectory of the world's fifth-largest economy for the better part of two decades, according to a major new working paper published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE). It finds that India overstated annual growth by up to two percentage points after 2011 — and understated it during the boom years of the 2000s.

Gujarat cadre to HDFC: When bureaucratic style hits corporate walls

By Rajiv Shah I was a little amused by the abrupt March 17, 2026 resignation of Atanu Chakraborty —a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of the 1985 batch who retired from the government in 2020—as chairman of HDFC Bank . Much of what may have led to his decision to quit this ostensibly high post—actually a non-executive, part-time role—is by now well known. I followed most of it online with considerable interest, partly because I had interacted with him umpteen times during my stint as The Times of India correspondent in Gandhinagar from 1997 to 2012.

As India logs historic emissions drop, expert warns govt against 'policy blunders'

By A Representative In a significant development that underscores the rapid transformation of India's energy landscape, new data reveals the country recorded its largest drop in power sector emissions in 2025. However, a top power sector analyst has urged the Union Government to view this "silver lining" as a stark warning against continuing to invest in new coal, large hydro, and nuclear projects, which he argues could become "redundant" stranded assets.

Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque under siege: A test of Muslim solidarity and Palestine’s future

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* In the cacophony of Israel’s and the United States’ attack on Iran, one piece of news has been buried under the debris of war: Israel has closed the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to Palestinian worshippers during the holy month of Ramadan. The closure, announced as indefinite, affects the third most revered mosque in the Islamic world.

Fresh citizenship framework suggested amidst electoral roll concerns

By Kathyayini Chamaraj The ongoing exercise of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has raised serious concerns about the potential disenfranchisement of large numbers of citizens. In many instances, people are being asked to produce retrospective documents to establish their citizenship—documents that many genuine citizens are unable to provide. The challenge before policymakers is to identify prospective amendments to the Citizenship Act that would ensure that no legitimate citizen is excluded either from citizenship or from the electoral roll.

Search This Blog