The process of killing dissent, purchasing voices
One of the main tasks that the corporate world did before bringing Modi to the chair of PM, is to kill or buy the media and human rights activists. The process of muzzling the media started with the finishing of ‘Tehelka’ paper. This paper has started a new discourse and order in journalism by conducting sting operation to expose corruption in the defense sector during the tenure of NDA government led by former PM Atal Bihari Vajapayee. The paper had written extensively about Gujarat genocide to ensure the voice of the victims was heard in the international arena.
Hence when it was decided that PM Narendra Modi had to be catapulted to the chair he is sitting in, the first steps that were taken were to ensure Tehelka and the likes were finished rather unceremoniously. Because Tarun Tejpal was at the heights of his fame during that time. Corporate forces worked well enough to ensure he was brought down well in time using his own weaknesses. Tejpal was trapped in sexual harassment charges and the trustworthiness brand Tehelka had created, came down with a massive thud. The progressives were forced to take a stand against Tehelka, which they had supported to grow. A paper that could have made it voice heard against Modi in the run up to the elections, was razed to dust. All the brilliant journalists who had associated with Tehelka had to disperse to join social media or new technology platforms.
This run to raze the voices has only increased since the time Modi assumed power. The government targeted the NGOs and environmentalists and gave them the tag of ‘anti-nationals’. Even NGOs with international reputation such as Green Peace had to suffer during this time. Modi and his cronies knew the opposition party within the parliament is weak, and hence their real opponents are environmentalists, human rights activists, media and NGOs along with anybody who’d raise voice against the government. Hence attempts were kept consistently on to muzzle the voices that differed.
Rajdeep Sardesai and his wife Sagarika Ghosh were forced to resign from CNN-IBN for having kept up their narrative against the violence unleashed by Sangh Parivar. Siddharth Varadarajan also had to leave The Hindu under similar circumstances. IT forces were unleashed against NDTV. Teesta Setalvad was chased which legal cases perched on top of her to no end. Some papers were killed, and some part of the media was bought over. All the journalists who were thus displaced, had to go with internet or new media platforms using social media.
Continuing its hunting of the media persons, government began to file cases against journalists on personal capacity too. Two senior journalists were forced to quit ABP Hindi channel for having filed a contradictory report against the Modi govermment’s schemes. Their only crime was to expose the publicity hungry mentality of Modi, and the total fakeness of the claims on progress made by the government. A government usually issues a rejoinder or a clarification, explaining the reality from its side. Modi has many ways of putting out his reality if he wishes to. The whole thing smells rotten when a govt sets out to muzzle the contradictory voices. This could mean there is a bit of reality in what the critics are saying. The dismissal of ABP journalists is speaking volumes of truth. The corporate world seems to think by threatening the journalists, one can keep away real news from people and thus protect Modi’s image.
At the same time, there is also an indirect attempt on shutting the voice that is insisting on judicial probe of Justice Loya’s death. Justice Loya was hearing the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case. The family had believed Loya died under natural circumstances. But the allegations of Loya being killed for having rejected favours from Amit Shah to make the verdict favourable to him. This has caused huge embarrassment to Amit Shah. Not only the Shah gang has been successful in shutting this topic out, but now they are also busy trying to arm twist the people who brought this fact to light.
Lawyer Satish Uke, the social activist who brought the Loya case out, has now been arrested in a case that was filed 17 years ago. The same lawyer had filed a case against Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis in Maharashtra some time ago. Phadnavis was issued a notice against this. And now instead of clarifying its role, the government has arrested the person who filed this case. If this continues, very soon there will be a day when even opposition leaders may be unable to speak against the government. Isn’t this enough to know India is already facing undeclared emergency?
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If ED has fundamental rights, it should think of people's rights too: Supreme Court
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has said ED should also think of the fundamental rights of the people and frowned upon the agency's plea seeking the transfer of the Nagrik Apurti Nigam (NAN) scam case from Chhattisgarh to New Delhi.
A bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan questioned the agency on how it had filed a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution meant for individuals.
Article 32 of Constitution guarantees the "Right to Constitutional Remedies," empowering individuals to seek redressal from the Supreme Court for violations of their fundamental rights, allowing them to directly approach the court for enforcement of these rights.
Following the bench's remarks, additional solicitor general S.V. Raju sought its permission to withdraw the plea and said, "ED also has fundamental rights."
"In a lighter vein, if ED has fundamental rights, it should think about fundamental rights of people too," the bench said.
The court then allowed Raju to withdraw the plea.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) last year claimed former IAS officer Anil Tuteja misused the anticipatory bail granted to him in the case in Chhattisgarh.
The probe agency recently made a startling claim about some constitutional functionaries of Chhattisgarh being in touch with a high court judge to ensure judicial reliefs to some accused in the money laundering case stemming from the alleged multi-crore rupees NAN scam.
Aside from seeking the transfer of the PMLA case out of Chhattisgarh, the ED sought cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to some high-profile accused persons in the money laundering case.
In 2019, the ED lodged the complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act based on the FIR and chargesheet filed by the Chhattisgarh police's economic offences wing and the anti-corruption bureau in the civil supply scam.
The alleged scam in the public distribution system (PDS) surfaced when the state's anti-corruption bureau raided some offices of NAN, the nodal agency for ensuring effective operation of the PDS system, in February 2015 and seized unaccounted cash totalling Rs 3.64 crore.
Many of the rice and salt samples collected during the raid were tested for their quality and were claimed to be sub-standard and unfit for human consumption.
While Tuteja was the chairperson of NAN, Shukla was the managing director.
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