Yes I made enemies but I slept in peace: Gautam Gambhir
New Delhi, Dec 8 : Gautam Gambhir has always been a non-conformist but he has had no regrets even if it meant an "unfulfilled career", "lot of enemies" because he could "sleep peacefully at night".
One of the most gutsy cricketers that the country has ever produced, Gambhir feels that the Indian society in general does not warm up to people who are forthright in their views.
"It's not only about cricketing system, in general our society doesn't like to be shown the mirror. We like to maintain the status quo and not look at the reality. I get suffocated by all this," Gambhir, who is set to retire from competitive cricket after Sunday told PTI in an exclusive interview.
Whether it's selectors or DDCA administration, Gambhir stood for whatever he felt right especially if those were cricketing issues.
"I can't tolerate wrong things and artificiality. A lot of people around me say that I could have been diplomatic but that is simply not me. Yes, I made many enemies but I slept in peace," said Gambhir on the penultimate day of his competitive career.
He had an ugly altercation with KP Bhaskar in 2017 when he alleged that the former coach was trying to destroy career of junior players, had arguments with Chetan Chauhan over a rookie bowler called Navdeep Saini, who he thought was cut out for higher level.
Not to forget when he was mad at a state selector, who wanted to get a below par club cricketer in the Delhi Ranji side after the team had won three straight Ranji games.
Did he never get scared that taking on establishment at every step could have affected his career?
For someone, who has always been high on emotional quotient, Gambhir did let his guard down for once.
"It did affect me. I am human after all but then like I said, I could not have let the unfair (practices) prevail.
"Look, I am not being holier than thou but some of the things that go on in our system are absolutely ridiculous. I was vocal about them and I paid the price by having an unfulfilled career," Gambhir said with a tinge of emotion in his voice.
So is Gautam Gambhir a misunderstood man? He replied: "Misunderstood a lot of times. For example, if I said, a captain is as good as his team, media and critics thought I was taking a dig at MS Dhoni.
"These critics would conveniently ignore when I repeated the statement when I was leading KKR or Delhi Ranji team. All these misunderstandings played a negative part in my career," he admitted.
Son of a wealthy businessman, Gambhir said that the hunger to carve his own identity always urged him to push the limits.
"A lot of people would say that I didn't need to play the game as I came from an affluent background. But I wanted to have an identity of my own, I wanted my dad should be known through me rather than the other way round.
"Besides, I didn't get anything on a platter, as I had to fight at each and every step. Therefore I am up for a scrap each time someone throws a challenge at me," the fighter in him comes out.
With 8.63 million followers on twitter, Gambhir's strong and opinionated views on many political issues have got him mixed reactions.
He has recently criticised the Delhi government for not being able to curb the menace of air pollution in the national capital.
Ask him what made him take on prominent politicians or a political party on social media, the highest scorer in two World Cup finals would tell you that he does nothing with any prior "planning".
"I am not taking anyone (on) or I am not doing it with any planning. It just comes naturally to me. I want to raise issues rather than get personal. I think it is my right to question if things are not falling in place. I would urge each Indian to do it, otherwise we will be steamrolled by the system," Gambhir replied.
There are talks that Gambhir will make for a tough no-nonsense BCCI administrator but the left-hander doesn't want to entertain those thoughts at the moment.
"It is too early to say. I want to bring about a change but at what platform it is still undecided. Lets see what happens."
He is retiring in the midst of the season despite scoring a hundred in his final appearance.
"Well, there is never a right time or a wrong time for decisions such as retirement. I have been thinking about it for sometime but enthusiasm and eagerness to win got the better of retirement thoughts."
His shoulder niggle also hastened the retirement.
"I wanted to captain and play for the entire season but due to my shoulder niggles I thought I should re-look at that plan. I discussed with my family and they were also of the opinion that I should move on.
"In fact, it is good as so many youngsters are also coming through. At least they will get a look in now to play for Delhi," said the 37-year-old.
By his own admission, he was never destiny's favourite child and could have played lot more (for India).
"Well, destiny has been mixed to me. I think I was good enough to play a lot more but variables were not in favour. But then I also had the honour of winning not one but two World Cup titles. So, the hundred in my last game is one more day when destiny has been kind to me.
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Cow has unique status, its slaughter can have repercussions on peace: Punjab and Haryana HC
Chandigarh (PTI): The cow is a pious animal and "certain acts" can severely impact peace when they offend beliefs of a "significant population group", the Punjab and Haryana High Court has said while dismissing the anticipatory bail given to a Nuh resident accused of transporting cows for slaughter.
Asif was booked along with two others in April this year under the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015, and the Prevention of Cruelty Act, 1960, for allegedly transporting cows to Rajasthan for slaughter.
"The present offence, apart from its legal implications, is laden with emotional and cultural undertones, given the unique status of the cow in Indian society," Justice Sandeep Moudgil said in an order earlier this month. It was made public on Monday.
"This court cannot remain oblivious to the fact that in a pluralistic society like ours, certain acts, while otherwise private, can have severe repercussions on public peace when they offend the deeply held beliefs of a significant population group," the court said.
The cow is not only a pious animal but also an integral part of India's agrarian economy, the judge said.
According to the state counsel, the petitioner was actively involved in the alleged offence of cow slaughter. Therefore, his custodial interrogation was imperative for a fair and effective investigation, he submitted.
The court said the Constitution does not merely protect rights in abstraction but seeks to build a just, compassionate, and cohesive society.
"Article 51A(g) Constitution of India enjoins every citizen to show compassion to all living creatures. It is in this context that the alleged act of cow slaughter committed repeatedly, deliberately, and provocatively strikes at the core of constitutional morality and social order," said the order.
The court observed that the offence alleged in the present FIR deals with the allegation of slaughtering a cow in conscious defiance of existing law and in utter disregard to the sentiments of the community at large.
'It is evident from the material placed on record that the petitioner is not a first time offender. He is alleged to have previously been involved in three other FIRs pertaining to similar offences.
"In those cases, the petitioner was granted the benefit of bail as a gesture of judicial trust, which appears to have been misused, rather than respected," said the court order.
Anticipatory bail, it said, is a discretionary relief, intended to protect innocent individuals from motivated or arbitrary arrest, not to provide sanctuary to those who repeatedly violate the law with impunity.
Protection of pre-arrest bail should not be granted when the applicant has been shown to be a habitual offender or where his custodial interrogation is necessary for fair investigation, it said.
The court also cited the Supreme Court verdict in the 2005 State of Gujarat vs Mirzapur Moti Kureshi Kassab Jamat case that upheld the constitutional validity of cow slaughter prohibitory laws and recognised the constitutional directive under Article 48 of the Constitution as reflecting the moral and economic ethos of society.
While dismissing the anticipatory bail plea, Justice Moudgil also observed that the court is conscious of the need to safeguard individual liberty.
"But where such liberty is demonstrably misused, and where the petitioner's conduct is indicative of recidivism, the law must respond with firmness. The right to bail is not to be confused with the right to impunity," according to the order.
"Considering the serious nature of the allegations involving offences of moral turpitude, coupled with the fact that the petitioner is a habitual offender with a likelihood of reoffending, this court is of the opinion that no grounds are made out for grant of anticipatory bail," it said.
