समलिंगी वोट :
प्रति -सम्पादकीय -वागीश मेहता ,वीरेंद्र शर्मा
चुनावों में बुरी तरह पिटी कांग्रेस को एक मुद्दा तो मिला। चुनावों का मूल आधार तो वोट है और वोटों पर इस समय दबदबा नौजवानों का है। तो ऐसे में नौजवानों का वोट हासिल करने के लिए यदि समलैंगिकों को समर्थन दिया जाता है तो कांग्रेस के लिए यह घाटे का सौदा नहीं है और खासकर तब जब टाइम्स आफ इंडिया जैसे प्रतिष्ठित अखबार के सम्पादक -मंडल का कोई व्यक्ति ऐसा परामर्श और प्रेरणा दे रहा हो। उनका सुझाव बहुत बढ़िया है। सोना तो सोना है ,चाहे कीचड़ या मल में क्यों न पड़ा हो उसे उठा ही लेना चाहिए। हर समझदार आदमी यही करता है। कांग्रेस में कोई समझदारों की कमी नहीं है।
सचमुच की समझ होना और राजनीतिक दृष्टि से समझ होना ये दो अलग बातें हैं। लोग तो सार्वजनिक जीवन में कपड़े पहन कर आते हैं पर टाइम्स आफ इंडिया के सम्पादक ने तो सारे कपड़े उतार दिए हैं । हो सकता है कि उन्होंने अपने सम्पादकीय में कहीं व्यंग्य छिपा रखा हो पर उन्हें ये नहीं पता है कि कांग्रेसी तो शुरू से ही नंगे हैं। खद्दर भी कोई कपड़ा होता है क्या?आदमी नंगा होने पर आ जाए तो खद्दर तो क्या पूरा कंबल भी नंगेपन को ढ़क नहीं सकता। टाइम्स आफ इंडिआ के सम्पादक को यह नहीं पता है कि यदि वह अपना सुझाव न भी देता तो भी कांग्रेस के नंगनाथ क्या चुप बैठ रहते। अभी तो चार ही सामने आये हैं। एक एक करके सभी चालीस चोर सामने आयेंगें। समलैंगिक होना कोई अपराध थोड़ी न है.वोट मिलेंगे तो चोरी और डकैती को भी अपराधों से बाहर किया जा सकता है। शरीर अपना है जो कुछ चाहे करें। उम्मीद तो यह भी है कि कांग्रेसी केवल सिद्धांत तक सीमित नहीं रहेंगे। खुद भी प्रक्टिकल करेंगे। आगे बढ़कर निदर्शन करेंगे।
विज्ञान तो ऐसे किसी सिद्धांत को नहीं मानता जो प्रयोग में खरा न उतरता हो फिर समलिंगी घर्षण के तो कई क्षेत्र हैं। अनेकों प्रयोग हो सकते हैं। फिर कांग्रेस में विचारकों और विज्ञानियों की कोई कमी है क्या जो टाइम्स आफ इंडिया का सम्पादक श्रेय लेना चाहता है।लोगों को विश्वास है कि कांग्रेसी नाहक में उस सम्पादक को श्रेय नहीं दे सकते।
सन्दर्भ -सामिग्री :THE TIMES OF INDIA ,MUMABI ,DECEMBER 13 ,2013
Government can earn much goodwill by decriminalising homosexuality
Supreme Court's decision to overturn the 2009 Delhi high court order decriminalising homosexuality is a massive blow to gay rights in India. The apex court saw it fit to uphold Section 377 of Indian Penal Code - a relic of the 1860s British Raj - that criminalises "carnal intercourse against the order of nature". Ironically, the court did not find a consistent classification of such punishable carnal intercourse. By that logic, even the government's population control programme can be deemed illegal because it promotes prophylactics that impede procreation in accordance with the so-called natural order.
India, being a young country, cannot afford imposition of archaic views upon it by state authorities. It's up to political parties to realise that there are new constituencies out there waiting to be cultivated. Apart from jobs, India's youth are looking for freedom from state paternalism. While Modi can claim he is a better creator of jobs than Congress, he is heavy-handed and unconvincing when it comes to issues of personal freedom. The latter, therefore, is an area that youth-oriented Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi could profitably cultivate to steal a march on Modi. In particular, Rahul would earn a great deal of goodwill by calling openly for the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Cultivating constituencies such as the LGBT community would give his party new supporters who will remain loyal to it for decades.
It's welcome that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram andKapil Sibal have indicated their dislike of Section 377 and hinted at a review of the SC judgment. But they need to go further. Instead of merely tut-tutting about it and leaving it to the courts, they must lead a drive to repeal Section 377 through Parliament. An announcement to this effect would highlight Congress's determination to uphold liberal values which appeal to youth, setting it apart from the opposition.
Govt considering all options to decriminalise homosexuality
New Delhi: With the Supreme Court order on gay sex creating a major uproar, the government on Thursday said it is considering all options to decriminalise homosexuality and filing a curative petition in the apex court could be one of them.
The Government is considering all options to restore the (Delhi) High Court verdict on (Section) 377 (of IPC). We must decriminalise adult consensual relationships,” Law Minister Kapil Sibal said.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the Supreme Court ruling was “wrong” and all options would be looked at to set right the Supreme Court order. Terming the judgement “disappointing”, he said the court should have applied “current social and moral values” in the case. He said the government should file a review or curative petition and that the matter should be heard by a five-bench judge.
Chidambaram, the former Home Minister, said the Delhi High Court judgement was a “well-researched one” which the Union government accepted and did not challenge in the Supreme Court. He added that the government’s decision of not opposing the High Court judgement in the Supreme Court was also his party’s view. Chidambaram noted that the bench that gave the order, should have referred the matter to a five-judge bench and that the interpretation of law cannot be static.
Chidambaram said the government should ask for a review for a curative petition and the matter should be referred to a five-judge bench. “I think the bench should have referred it to a five-judge bench and they should have looked into all aspects of law. Interpretation of law cannot be static. What you have done is, (you have) gone back in time, in 1860, and I am therefore terribly upset,” Chidambaram said.
Noting that the current section 377 was made in the year 1860, the Finance Minister said it reflected the social and moral values of that age and the knowledge of psychology, physiology, genetics in that era was extremely poor.
“But today in the year 2013, there is so much knowledge about human psychology, human physiology, human genetics to say that something like intercourse against the order of nature (is not right) and that is the social and moral value today, and therefore, it is the legal value of today. That (judgment) is completely outdated, completely retrograde,” he said.
When asked why did the government not amend section 377 while amending the rape laws in the wake of Delhi gang-rape incident, Chidambaram said the High Court judgment laid down section 377 only in a limited manner.
“They decriminalised homosexuality only among consenting adults and in private. Therefore, there was no need to amend section 377,” he said.
Chidambaram added that legislative option still remains open, because if one looks closely at section 377, that option is not required.
“Section 377 can remain, because between two non -consenting adults it still remains a crime. So, there was no occasion to amend the section. And the amendment of the section was necessary only after the final announcement of the judgment. The case was pending in the Supreme Court and there was no occasion to amend it,” he said. Chidambaram said that if the apex court recognised live-in relationships, the legitimacy of children born out of wedlock, how could the same court refer to the LGBT community as “minuscule fraction”.
By one account, there are at least 100 million people in the country who would fall under the LGBT category. Even assuming that it is a minuscule fraction, the Constitution takes the fundamental rights of every citizen. Even if it’s one citizen, his rights should be protected,” the Finance Minister said.
Without getting into the merit of the case, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said Parliament will take an appropriate decision on the matter.
“The most important thing is that the Supreme Court …after a long time has decided that Parliament should frame these laws. There is a very distinct role for Parliament and there is a very distinct role for judiciary. “In consonance with that…the Supreme Court has done the correct thing by leaving it to Parliament. The Parliament will take an appropriate decision on this,” he told reporters outside Parliament House. (PTI)
Sonia disappointed over SC verdict on gay rights issue
New Delhi: Amid an uproar over the Supreme Court verdict on gay rights issue, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said she was disappointed that the apex court had reversed a previous Delhi High Court judgement decriminalising homosexuality and hoped Parliament would address the matter.
“I hope that Parliament will address the issue and uphold the constitutional guarantee of life and liberty to all citizens of India, including those directly affected by the judgement,” the UPA Chairperson said. Gandhi said that she was “disappointed” that the Supreme Court has reversed a previous Delhi High Court ruling on the issue of gay rights but also noted that the Supreme Court also suggested another course. She was obviously alluding to the option of legislation.
“The high court had widely removed an archaic repressive and unjust law that infringed on the basic human rights enshrined in our Constitution. “This Constitution has given us a great legacy, a legacy of liberalism and openness, that enjoin us to combat prejudice and discrimination of any kind,” the Congress President said in a statement.
She said, “We are proud that our culture has always been an inclusive and tolerant one”.
In a big blow to the LGBT community, the Supreme Court had yesterday set aside the landmark high court judgement decriminalising gay sex and threw the ball in Parliament’s court for amending law. (PTI)
प्रति -सम्पादकीय -वागीश मेहता ,वीरेंद्र शर्मा
चुनावों में बुरी तरह पिटी कांग्रेस को एक मुद्दा तो मिला। चुनावों का मूल आधार तो वोट है और वोटों पर इस समय दबदबा नौजवानों का है। तो ऐसे में नौजवानों का वोट हासिल करने के लिए यदि समलैंगिकों को समर्थन दिया जाता है तो कांग्रेस के लिए यह घाटे का सौदा नहीं है और खासकर तब जब टाइम्स आफ इंडिया जैसे प्रतिष्ठित अखबार के सम्पादक -मंडल का कोई व्यक्ति ऐसा परामर्श और प्रेरणा दे रहा हो। उनका सुझाव बहुत बढ़िया है। सोना तो सोना है ,चाहे कीचड़ या मल में क्यों न पड़ा हो उसे उठा ही लेना चाहिए। हर समझदार आदमी यही करता है। कांग्रेस में कोई समझदारों की कमी नहीं है।
सचमुच की समझ होना और राजनीतिक दृष्टि से समझ होना ये दो अलग बातें हैं। लोग तो सार्वजनिक जीवन में कपड़े पहन कर आते हैं पर टाइम्स आफ इंडिया के सम्पादक ने तो सारे कपड़े उतार दिए हैं । हो सकता है कि उन्होंने अपने सम्पादकीय में कहीं व्यंग्य छिपा रखा हो पर उन्हें ये नहीं पता है कि कांग्रेसी तो शुरू से ही नंगे हैं। खद्दर भी कोई कपड़ा होता है क्या?आदमी नंगा होने पर आ जाए तो खद्दर तो क्या पूरा कंबल भी नंगेपन को ढ़क नहीं सकता। टाइम्स आफ इंडिआ के सम्पादक को यह नहीं पता है कि यदि वह अपना सुझाव न भी देता तो भी कांग्रेस के नंगनाथ क्या चुप बैठ रहते। अभी तो चार ही सामने आये हैं। एक एक करके सभी चालीस चोर सामने आयेंगें। समलैंगिक होना कोई अपराध थोड़ी न है.वोट मिलेंगे तो चोरी और डकैती को भी अपराधों से बाहर किया जा सकता है। शरीर अपना है जो कुछ चाहे करें। उम्मीद तो यह भी है कि कांग्रेसी केवल सिद्धांत तक सीमित नहीं रहेंगे। खुद भी प्रक्टिकल करेंगे। आगे बढ़कर निदर्शन करेंगे।
विज्ञान तो ऐसे किसी सिद्धांत को नहीं मानता जो प्रयोग में खरा न उतरता हो फिर समलिंगी घर्षण के तो कई क्षेत्र हैं। अनेकों प्रयोग हो सकते हैं। फिर कांग्रेस में विचारकों और विज्ञानियों की कोई कमी है क्या जो टाइम्स आफ इंडिया का सम्पादक श्रेय लेना चाहता है।लोगों को विश्वास है कि कांग्रेसी नाहक में उस सम्पादक को श्रेय नहीं दे सकते।
सन्दर्भ -सामिग्री :THE TIMES OF INDIA ,MUMABI ,DECEMBER 13 ,2013
Government can earn much goodwill by decriminalising homosexuality
Supreme Court's decision to overturn the 2009 Delhi high court order decriminalising homosexuality is a massive blow to gay rights in India. The apex court saw it fit to uphold Section 377 of Indian Penal Code - a relic of the 1860s British Raj - that criminalises "carnal intercourse against the order of nature". Ironically, the court did not find a consistent classification of such punishable carnal intercourse. By that logic, even the government's population control programme can be deemed illegal because it promotes prophylactics that impede procreation in accordance with the so-called natural order.
India, being a young country, cannot afford imposition of archaic views upon it by state authorities. It's up to political parties to realise that there are new constituencies out there waiting to be cultivated. Apart from jobs, India's youth are looking for freedom from state paternalism. While Modi can claim he is a better creator of jobs than Congress, he is heavy-handed and unconvincing when it comes to issues of personal freedom. The latter, therefore, is an area that youth-oriented Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi could profitably cultivate to steal a march on Modi. In particular, Rahul would earn a great deal of goodwill by calling openly for the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Cultivating constituencies such as the LGBT community would give his party new supporters who will remain loyal to it for decades.
It's welcome that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram andKapil Sibal have indicated their dislike of Section 377 and hinted at a review of the SC judgment. But they need to go further. Instead of merely tut-tutting about it and leaving it to the courts, they must lead a drive to repeal Section 377 through Parliament. An announcement to this effect would highlight Congress's determination to uphold liberal values which appeal to youth, setting it apart from the opposition.
Govt considering all options to decriminalise homosexuality
New Delhi: With the Supreme Court order on gay sex creating a major uproar, the government on Thursday said it is considering all options to decriminalise homosexuality and filing a curative petition in the apex court could be one of them.
The Government is considering all options to restore the (Delhi) High Court verdict on (Section) 377 (of IPC). We must decriminalise adult consensual relationships,” Law Minister Kapil Sibal said.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the Supreme Court ruling was “wrong” and all options would be looked at to set right the Supreme Court order. Terming the judgement “disappointing”, he said the court should have applied “current social and moral values” in the case. He said the government should file a review or curative petition and that the matter should be heard by a five-bench judge.
Chidambaram, the former Home Minister, said the Delhi High Court judgement was a “well-researched one” which the Union government accepted and did not challenge in the Supreme Court. He added that the government’s decision of not opposing the High Court judgement in the Supreme Court was also his party’s view. Chidambaram noted that the bench that gave the order, should have referred the matter to a five-judge bench and that the interpretation of law cannot be static.
Chidambaram said the government should ask for a review for a curative petition and the matter should be referred to a five-judge bench. “I think the bench should have referred it to a five-judge bench and they should have looked into all aspects of law. Interpretation of law cannot be static. What you have done is, (you have) gone back in time, in 1860, and I am therefore terribly upset,” Chidambaram said.
Noting that the current section 377 was made in the year 1860, the Finance Minister said it reflected the social and moral values of that age and the knowledge of psychology, physiology, genetics in that era was extremely poor.
“But today in the year 2013, there is so much knowledge about human psychology, human physiology, human genetics to say that something like intercourse against the order of nature (is not right) and that is the social and moral value today, and therefore, it is the legal value of today. That (judgment) is completely outdated, completely retrograde,” he said.
When asked why did the government not amend section 377 while amending the rape laws in the wake of Delhi gang-rape incident, Chidambaram said the High Court judgment laid down section 377 only in a limited manner.
“They decriminalised homosexuality only among consenting adults and in private. Therefore, there was no need to amend section 377,” he said.
Chidambaram added that legislative option still remains open, because if one looks closely at section 377, that option is not required.
“Section 377 can remain, because between two non -consenting adults it still remains a crime. So, there was no occasion to amend the section. And the amendment of the section was necessary only after the final announcement of the judgment. The case was pending in the Supreme Court and there was no occasion to amend it,” he said. Chidambaram said that if the apex court recognised live-in relationships, the legitimacy of children born out of wedlock, how could the same court refer to the LGBT community as “minuscule fraction”.
By one account, there are at least 100 million people in the country who would fall under the LGBT category. Even assuming that it is a minuscule fraction, the Constitution takes the fundamental rights of every citizen. Even if it’s one citizen, his rights should be protected,” the Finance Minister said.
Without getting into the merit of the case, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said Parliament will take an appropriate decision on the matter.
“The most important thing is that the Supreme Court …after a long time has decided that Parliament should frame these laws. There is a very distinct role for Parliament and there is a very distinct role for judiciary. “In consonance with that…the Supreme Court has done the correct thing by leaving it to Parliament. The Parliament will take an appropriate decision on this,” he told reporters outside Parliament House. (PTI)
Sonia disappointed over SC verdict on gay rights issue
New Delhi: Amid an uproar over the Supreme Court verdict on gay rights issue, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said she was disappointed that the apex court had reversed a previous Delhi High Court judgement decriminalising homosexuality and hoped Parliament would address the matter.
“I hope that Parliament will address the issue and uphold the constitutional guarantee of life and liberty to all citizens of India, including those directly affected by the judgement,” the UPA Chairperson said. Gandhi said that she was “disappointed” that the Supreme Court has reversed a previous Delhi High Court ruling on the issue of gay rights but also noted that the Supreme Court also suggested another course. She was obviously alluding to the option of legislation.
“The high court had widely removed an archaic repressive and unjust law that infringed on the basic human rights enshrined in our Constitution. “This Constitution has given us a great legacy, a legacy of liberalism and openness, that enjoin us to combat prejudice and discrimination of any kind,” the Congress President said in a statement.
She said, “We are proud that our culture has always been an inclusive and tolerant one”.
In a big blow to the LGBT community, the Supreme Court had yesterday set aside the landmark high court judgement decriminalising gay sex and threw the ball in Parliament’s court for amending law. (PTI)
गीता-जयन्ती' का का पर्व आप को मंगल- मय हो !
जवाब देंहटाएंएक रोचक रचना के लिये आप को वधाई !
व्भाई साहब ठीक अहा है आप ने खिसियानी बिल्ली खम्भा नोचे ! मिले न फूल तो मलवे से दोस्ती कर ली !!
मेरे ब्लॉग 'प्रसून' पर श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता गीता पर कुछ नए विचार देखें !!