Escape from truth

Truth is often attended with danger; and this proved to be true in the case of four Mid-Day journalists who were sentenced four months of imprisonment this Friday for publishing news reports that were against the former Chief Justice of India Y K Sabharwal.

The Division bench that included Justice R S Sodhi and Justice B N Chaturvedi of the Delhi High Court regarded the journalists guilty of contempt of court for “tarnishing the image of the Supreme Court” and publishing scandalous articles against the Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal. The Mid-day carried news articles that stated that the orders issued by the bench headed by Y.K Sabharwal was in favor of his son who had tie ups with many developers. The Division convicted the journalists of crossing the “Laxman Rekha” (borders) and sentenced them four months imprisonment.

The journalists who were found guilty are MK Tayal the City editor, S.K. Akhtar, the Publisher, Vitusha Oberoi the Resident Editor, and Irfan Khan the Cartoonist. The court ordered the journalists to furnish a personal bond of Rs.10,000 each and two sureties of the same amount for bail. Vitusha Oberoi said that they were pleading not guilty and that truth is their defence.

The deepest truths are best read between the lines, and, for the most part, refuse to be written and when we come across truth, it’s hard to digest and so we try to ignore it. If what the journalists have published is true then the court, instead of just cutting the bud should go to the roots and find out who the real pest is and try to analyze it. The truth must reach the public if it is for the public good and in case it is hidden then that itself is a crime. We live in a democratic country and the very essence of democracy is the right to know what’s happening in our own nation. Instead of just choking the voice of the journalists which they claim is true, why don’t we go out and have an investigation of what the matter really is. This would prove and solve everything. Instead of encouraging the fire why don’t we try to stop it? At this time what we have to keep in mind is the famous quote from the Bible “but above all things truth is victor”.