Markandey Katju
Apart from that, Gandhi also acted as a British agent by diverting the Indian independence struggle from the revolutionary direction of armed struggle which great freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Surya Sen, Chandrashekhar Azad, Bismil, Ashfaqulla etc were taking it, to the harmless channel of gimmicks like satyagrah, hunger strike, etc.
We respectfully submit that many of the changes brought about by the BNS in India e.g. providing for community service as a punishment for certain offences, or decriminalization of attempt to suicide ( except in certain situations) should be welcomed as steps in the right direction, and should be emulated in Pakistan
Now the Allahabad High Court has a heavy pendency of cases ( over a million ). Consequently, a case heard on a certain day usually comes up for the next hearing after 4-5 years. So the result of my orders in these cases was that in substance by judicial orders I converted one month visas into 4-5 years visas. Why did I do this ? Now that the matter is old I can reveal the real reason.
By Justice Katju For advertisement on our platform, do call at +91 6377460764 or email us at [email protected]. The vast majority of the Indian media has crossed all limits of yellow journalism, impropriety, scandal mongering and spreading fake news, as is evident from its reporting of the incident relating to Justice Yashwant Verma, a Judge of the … Read more
The media has called the amount seized as ‘unaccounted’ cash. But if they have not even taken Justice Verma’s version, how can they say it is unaccounted ? Some mediaperson is saying it is Rs 15 crore, another is saying Rs 50 crores, etc. But on what basis have they reached this figure ? No on knows. Evidently ‘presstitutes’ have a right to say anything they like.
However, I was surprised that none of the panelists clearly said that they were generally in favour of a UCC. Only Kapil, though being critical of the Uttrakhand UCC, seemed to support UCC in general ( by referring to former Prime Minister Nehru’s view ), and Vrinda Grover, one of the panelists, said that from the 1970s the women’s movement supported UCC.
In the Indian subcontinent democracy can only mean a government for the people, not of or by the people, that is, a government which works for the welfare of the people. Such a government has never existed in India, since our politicians only seek power and pelf ( for which they polarize society on caste and communal lines by inciting hatred ), and have no genuine love for the people.
Some may argue that these demands equate to the abolition of Islam itself, but this is not true. I do not advocate for banning core Islamic practices, such as attending mosques, offering Namaz, going on Haj, observing Roza during Ramadan, celebrating Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha, or taking out Muharram processions.
Many people of a particular caste regard people of other castes as their enemies, e.g. many Kammas in Andhra Pradesh regard Reddys as their enemies and vice versa, many Lingayats in Karnataka regard Vokkaligas as their enemies, and vice versa, many Yadavs in UP regard Kurmis as their enemies ( though both castes are OBCs ), and vice versa, dalits regard upper castes as enemies, being oppressors, etc
On this occasion I appeal to Muslims and other non-Hindus, particularly in Pakistan and Bangladesh, to celebrate it along with their Hindu brothers and sisters with great gaiety and enthusiasm.
Upto 1857 there was no communal problem in the Indian subcontinent. There were no communal riots before 1857, and Hindus and Muslims used to live together amicably, like brothers and sisters. They would help each other, and participate in each other’s religious festivals and occasions, Hindus participating in Eid and Moharram, and Muslims participating in Holi and Diwali.
Balochistan has huge natural resources, e.g. coal, oil, natural gas, and minerals such as copper, gold, silver, chromite, marble and limestone. These, instead of being used to benefit the Baloch people, were taken away by Punjabi businessmen, and now are being taken away by the Chinese, while the vast majority of Balochs remain in abject poverty.
There is a square open place there , surrounded by walls. My wife and I went on the first floor of a building, and saw the event from there. Everywhere colour was being thrown, blue, green, yellow and red. The men folk were in the centre of the square, and the womenfolk tore the upper garments of the menfolk, dipped them in coloured water, which was all around, and beat the menfolk with those torn clothes. Perhaps this was symbolic of women returning what they got from their men during the rest of the 364 days in the year !
Islam and Prophet Mohammed have often been misunderstood. Islam came in the world as a great liberating force, as it spread the great message of equality. It gave social emancipation to the suppressed sections of society ( e.g. dalits in India ), and that is why Islam spread from Spain to Indonesia.
The great Tamil poet Subramania Bharati ( 1882-1921 ) wrote (around 1908-1910) powerful verses in favour of women’s emancipation, at a time when probably no one in India, or even in the World, even thought of women’s emancipation, and thus he was far ahead of his times :
Once when I was a judge in Allahabad High Court a lawyer who would always argue in Hindi presented a petition before me titled ‘ Pratibhu Avedan Patra ‘. I asked the lawyer what ‘Pratibhu’ meant. He said it meant bail. I told him he should have called it bail or ‘zamaanat’ which everybody understood, instead of calling it Pratibhu which no one understands.
This story was told to me by my friend Ram Lakhan Chaturvedi, senior advocate, Allahabad High Court, who was about 10 years elder to me, and is now no more.
But the Holocaust was committed by Germans and their European collaborators, not by Palestinian Arabs. Why should the latter have been punished for crimes committed by the former ? The establishment of Israel led to the Nakba–an Exodus and displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, who were subjected to horrible atrocities
NATO was an organization of Western powers, headed by USA, which was created after the end of the Second World War to prevent expansion of the Soviet Union into Western Europe by armed force. But with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991,and end of the Cold War, NATO should have been scrapped, as its very raison d:etre had come to an end. Now there was no more threat of Soviet expansionism, since there was no more Soviet Union.
There are tens of thousands of Urdu verses, by hundreds of Urdu poets. A sher ( couplet ) or nazm ( poem ) to be appropriately quoted in a judgment should be ‘mauzu’ ( in Hindi ‘praasangik’ ) i.e. pertinent and befitting to the context. One cannot quote any verse in any judgment at random. If quoted appropriately it gives beauty and depth to the judgment, by highlighting some idea or emotion, to make it touching, and giving it poignancy. I tried to do this in my judgments, which can all be seen online.
In 1901 Russia was under the despotic and autocratic rule of Czar Nicholas II. There was a strict press censorship, and it was dangerous to criticise the Czar or the government directly, so writers had to write allegorically and symbolically ( just as the Urdu poet Faiz had to do during the martial law regime in Pakistan ).
Justice Katju critiques the overhyped narrative surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI), arguing that its portrayal as a revolutionary solution to global issues is exaggerated. While acknowledging AI’s utility in fields like medicine, he contends it fails to address core socio-economic challenges—poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, and inadequate healthcare—plaguing underdeveloped nations. Katju asserts AI lacks human creativity, essential for solving these problems, and may reinforce inequality by benefiting tech elites. He views AI as a distraction, akin to historical diversions like Roman circuses, unable to deliver systemic change without a people’s revolution. The piece calls for disillusionment from AI’s inflated promises.
“Hotel California,” released by the Eagles in 1977, is a metaphorical masterpiece exploring the dark underbelly of the American Dream. The song narrates a weary traveler’s entrapment in a luxurious yet inescapable hotel, symbolizing the seductive allure and spiritual emptiness of American society. With cryptic lyrics like “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave,” it critiques materialism, excess, and the music industry’s corruption in the 1970s. Don Henley describes it as a journey from innocence to experience, unveiling a nightmare beneath the promise of prosperity, blending haunting imagery with profound social commentary.
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A Pakistani messaged me on whatsApp ” Sir, is there any specific reason why the Indian cricket team is not allowed to visit Pakistan even in a multilateral event, depriving us the pleasure to host the Indian team and visitors, when all others are here ? “.
Moeed has his own YouTube channel on which he regularly posts his vlogs, mostly from Washington DC. I regard Moeed totally honest and upright, but being upright does not necessarily mean being a deep thinker.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faced a setback in the 2024 parliamentary elections, losing its absolute majority with seats dropping from 303 to 240. Despite predictions of decline, the BJP demonstrated resilience by sweeping subsequent state elections in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi, regaining power after 27 years in the latter. This resurgence is attributed to the BJP’s Hindutva ideology, appealing to India’s 80% Hindu population, while opposition parties struggle to offer a compelling alternative, often perceived as chasing Muslim votes. As long as India’s democratic framework persists, the BJP’s electoral dominance seems likely to continue.
The article “Punah Mooshak Bhav” by Justice Katju draws a parallel between an ancient Sanskrit tale and the political trajectory of Arvind Kejriwal, former Chief Minister of Delhi. The story narrates a mouse’s repeated transformations into more powerful creatures at the behest of a saint, only to revert to its original form after displaying ingratitude. Similarly, Kejriwal rose from a modest anti-corruption crusader, riding Anna Hazare’s movement, to a powerful political figure leading the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). However, his tenure as Chief Minister was marred by allegations of corruption, extravagant spending (e.g., the “Sheesh Mahal”), and political U-turns, culminating in a significant electoral defeat in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections. The article critiques Kejriwal’s lack of scientific vision and portrays his fall—losing his position and facing criminal cases—as a return to his metaphorical “mouse” state, emphasizing the transient nature of power devoid of integrity.
Justice Markandey Katju, a former Supreme Court judge of India, has actively discussed the misconceptions surrounding the Urdu language in India. He argues that Urdu, often mistakenly seen as a language exclusive to Muslims, is fundamentally secular and was historically spoken by educated individuals across various communities until 1947. Katju criticizes political statements that associate Urdu with religious identity, emphasizing that in its essence, Urdu shares a commonality with Hindi, particularly in its use of Hindustani verbs. He highlights the British colonial policy as a root cause of the linguistic divide, advocating for a broader recognition of Urdu’s secular and inclusive nature in modern India.
Complete destruction of feudalism and freedom from foreign interference is essential for the rapid economic growth of a country. This was achieved by the leaders who came to power in China in 1949. Landlordism was totally eradicated, and the ‘Unequal Treaties’ which the imperialist foreign countries had forced the Chinese to sign, were scrapped.
The fact that he is unusual is the reason he is noticed by the public and he has a track record as a philanthropist and an upright leader with integrity spanning some 30-40 years. The masses appreciate bravery even though it is foolish specially when it comes from someone who has stood by them on the ground, most notably in providing free healthcare in a country where doctors usually advise to let the patient die because it is a matter of spending money on a patient who is going to die anyway due to advanced age or lack of financial means.
Imran Khan foolishly took cudgels with the American Government, not realising that America controls Pakistan through the Pakistan army. The Pakistan army rules Pakistan, and US Govt controls the Pak army, as the generals of the Pak army are beholden to the US Govt in various ways.