TOPIC – Justice in ruins
(India cannot afford successive judicial setbacks to secular values and the rule of law)
The ruins of the Babri Masjid were cleared in record time by the hordes of vandals mobilized for demolishing it. Some detritus was still left, though: a belief among many that justice would be done and the Constitution and the rule of law would be upheld if the criminal court punishes those who plotted the events of December 6, 1992. Even when the Supreme Court handed over the empty site to those who wanted the mosque brought down to build a Ram temple, its recognition of the demolition as an “egregious violation of the rule of law” gave rise to hope that the ends of justice would be served by the punishment of those who mobilized the vandals. A Special CBI Court in Lucknow has now cleared the remaining debris with an unconscionable judgment. Throwing to the winds the Supreme Court’s observations on the demolition, the trial court has in effect given judicial legitimation to the ‘Ram Janmabhoomi movement’ by acquitting all those indicted for conspiracy to bring down the structure. Its conclusions are drastic and defy logic and fact. The court’s finding that the demolition was not planned in advance flies in the face of the entry of more than a hundred thousand volunteers into Ayodhya that day, armed with crowbars, spades, hoes, and ropes and every implement needed to bring down a sturdy structure and clear the site. The proponents of the movement, headed by L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Uma Bharti among others, had positioned themselves in vantage points to witness the occasion and celebrate with pride what ought to have caused shame and disgust. It is indeed true that it is not easy to prove a conspiracy, as it essentially takes place in secret. This is where courts must draw reasonable inferences from the circumstances. But in a conspiracy of this nature, it is easy to see that those involved were “marching under a banner”, an image the Supreme Court had once referred to while explaining the ingredients of a conspiracy. In this case, apart from the political mobilization and the purported intent to assemble on a particular day, the court had with it sufficient evidence that there was studied inaction on the part of the State, whose Chief Minister was one of the accused, and the unambiguous and open threats to the structure voiced by many of the movement’s protagonists.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
- Vandals (noun) – Someone who willfully destroys or defaces property
Synonyms – hoodlum, barbarian, hooligan, delinquent, saboteur
Antonyms – cops
- Detritus (noun) – The remains of something that has been destroyed
Synonyms – debris, refuse, litter, rubble, trash
Antonyms – finery, valuable, contrive, overstory, a treasure trove
- Plotted (adjective) – Planned in advance
Synonyms – aforethought, conspire, mark, trace, contrived
Antonyms – unpremeditated
- Demolition (noun) – An event that completely destroys something
Synonyms – devastation, ruin, razing, wrecking, wreck
Antonyms – rehabilitation, renaissance, conservation, erection, composition
- Egregious (adjective) – Surpassing, extraordinary
Synonyms – outrageous, monstrous, flagrant, heinous, atrocious
Antonyms – slight, piddling, shabby, venial, unpretentious
- Unconscionable (adjective) – Not conforming to reason
Synonyms – outrageous, exorbitant, excessive, unethical, usurious
Antonyms – moral, conscientious, prudent, virtuous, legitimate
- Conspiracy (noun) – A secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act
Synonyms – intrigue, cabal, confederacy, collusion, ruse
Antonyms – accuracy, faithfulness, chastity, confession, fork
- Drastic (adjective) – Acting rapidly and violently
Synonyms – extreme, radical, harsh, draconian, dire
Antonyms – calm, foundation, indulgent, frivolous, gracious
- Defy (verb) – Resist or confront with resistance
Synonyms – disobey, flout, contravene, violate, infringe
Antonyms – yield, comply, abdicate, capitulate, apply
- Sturdy (adjective) – Inured to fatigue or hardships
Synonyms – strong, robust, burly, stout, brawny
Antonyms – fragile, feeble, frail, puny, crumbly
- Proponents (noun) – A person who pleads for a cause
Synonyms – adherents, promoters, partisans, exponent, defenders
- Vantage (noun) – Place or situation affording some advantage
Synonyms – advantage, ascendancy, leverage, bulge, boon
Antonyms – detriment, drawback, obstruction, strike, disgrace
- Purport (verb) – Propose or intend
Synonyms – drift, intent, gist, spirit, tenor
Antonyms – exterior, unbraid, decline, spurn
- Unambiguous (adjective) – Admitting of no doubt
Synonyms – unequivocal, explicit, univocal, lucid, clear
Antonyms – vague, ambiguous, obscure, imprecise, fuzzy
- Protagonist (noun) – One who takes lead in some great scene
Synonyms – champion, booster, admirer, proponent, paladin
Antonyms – antagonist, oppose, nemesis, objector, rascal
