Indian judiciary is in a coma, says The Caravan editor Vinod on Aseemanand's acquittal
On 16th April 2018, the NIA Court acquitted all five who were accused in the Mecca Masjid blasts, citing lack of evidence.
Vinod K. Jose, Executive Editor of the Caravan which had carried a voluntary confession of one of the key accused, Swami Aseemanand, is deeply upset by the NIA’s claim of “Not enough evidence”. Here is his facebook post about the acquittal :
“No evidence, no evidence & no evidence. Agencies and courts hearing terror cases across India, that had RSS men involved are making a mockery of justice. In 2014 The Caravan magazine had managed nine hrs confessions from Aseemanand from Ambala jail out of his free will, NIA had said it was coming to pick up the tapes. But it never did. The CBI passed on many volumes of evidences to the NIA when it took over all Hindu terror cases. Hemant Karkare’s Maharashtra ATS also passed on its painstakingly gathered evidences. The bureaucrats who worked dubiously in this period, later contested on BJP ticket to parliament, all became MPs, and some became ministers. NIA failed cases one after the other, and the celebrated new agency’s record suddenly became worse than the CBI. (NIA today is not National Investigation Agency, but No Investigation Agency.)
If the justice system in India failed or not, anyone who wanted to know what was going on India from 2005 and 2014 in the cases of Hindu terror groups, I suggest to read brilliant Leena Reghunath’s profile of Aseemanand. It is a must read at least once in your lifetime.
The piece was based on Aseemanand’s confessions from inside Ambala Central prison, the man who prided to be staying in the same cell as Gandhi killer Godse.
If you don’t have enough time today to read the whole article, just read two graphs from the screenshot attached. It will tell you why the plot was huge and the case was a big litmus test on Indian democracy to know if it had the guts to pursue justice. The Congress failed. And the BJP govt made sure no damage was done to the men and ideology. At the end everyone is happy. Except the families of 117 people killed in those 3-4 blasts.
Also, going by today’s headlines in the national papers, the NIA judge resigned from service soon after giving the judgment yesterday morning. Why?
Will we ever know the reason? Soon after his resignation, when people started asking why the judge resigned, a disinformation campaign started by a certain section of lawyers that a corruption case against the judge was with the High Court, but the High Court has rebutted it. We heard in Judge Loya story: Rs 100 cr offer for a favourable judgment, and when refused, finally death in mysterious circumstances. Indian judiciary is in coma. And if a democracy can’t investigate without fear and conduct a trial freely what has that society come to?”
Below is the original post.
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UK PM Keir Starmer takes ‘China matters’ message on first Beijing visit
London (PTI): “Like it or not, China matters to the UK,” is the message British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is taking on his visit to Beijing on Wednesday, accompanied by a 60-strong business and cultural delegation.
Downing Street said the visit, which will also cover Shanghai, reflects the UK’s “clear-eyed and realistic” approach to China in terms of opportunities and challenges they pose by continuing to pursue cooperation while “maintaining guardrails” when it comes to the country’s national security.
The Labour Party government is keen to highlight its re-engagement with China with this first visit in eight years, coming close on the heels of a ministerial go-ahead for its controversial new “mega embassy” in London.
“For years, our approach to China has been dogged by inconsistency – blowing hot and cold, from Golden Age to Ice Age. But like it or not, China matters for the UK,” Starmer said in a pre-visit statement.
“As one of the world’s biggest economic players, a strategic and consistent relationship with them is firmly in our national interest. That does not mean turning a blind eye to the challenges they pose – but engaging even where we disagree.
“This is what our allies do, and what I will do: delivering for the public, putting more money in their pockets and keeping them safe through pragmatic, consistent cooperation abroad,” he said.
The UK PM is set to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Thursday for talks on trade, investment and national security, before travelling to Shanghai for a range of engagements with British and Chinese businesses.
Accompanied by a delegation of leading UK-based businesses, including Tata Motors owned Jaguar Land Rover, sporting institutions, museums and theatre groups, Starmer is expected to push for access in areas such as the financial services sector, creative industries and life sciences.
“However, he will be clear that we will not trade economic cooperation for our national security. He will raise the areas where we disagree with China – being clear that we will always defend our national security and where viewpoints differ, frank and open dialogue is of vital importance,” Downing Street said.
Describing China as the world’s second largest economy, a crucial player in global supply chains and a growing military power, the UK said it is important to engage with its third-largest trading partner which supports 3,70,000 British jobs.
“We want to see trade flourish between us. From financial services to advanced manufacturing and the global energy transition, the UK’s strengths increasingly align with the rapidly evolving Chinese economy,” said Peter Kyle, the Business and Trade Secretary travelling with Starmer.
“The first duty of government is security, and we protect ourselves best through active engagement and pragmatic cooperation, not by shutting the door,” he said.
The visit follows the 2025 Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) that the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) claimed secured 600 million pounds in immediate benefits and the first UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO) since 2018.
“The UK’s world-leading financial services sector is a cornerstone of our economy. With deep and liquid markets, and the FTSE hitting all-time highs, there are real opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation with China which supports jobs for working people and growth for businesses across Britain,” said Lucy Rigby, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, also part of the ministerial delegation.
The Opposition Conservatives have criticised Starmer’s approach to China, amid human rights concerns and espionage fears. “Starmer has already surrendered to the Chinese Communist Party over their plan for a spy-hub super embassy in the heart of our capital,” said shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel.
“The evidence is overwhelming that China poses a serious threat to our national security and it is clear Starmer is going to China without any leverage. He lacks the backbone to stand up for Britain and is bending over backwards to appease Beijing,” she said.
Following his trip to China, Starmer is set to travel to Tokyo to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to reinforce the UK-Japan partnership, said to be worth over 100 billion pounds and supporting 2,00,000 UK jobs.
