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SHILLONG — Meghalaya High Court Judge Sudip Ranjan Sen, responding to a row that was created by his “Hindu country” remark in a judgement, said that his order was not influenced by any political ideology.
Justice Sen had on Wednesday said that “India should have become a Hindu country after Partition”. He was hearing a petition by an Army recruit who was refused a domicile certificate by the Meghalaya government.
“I make it clear that nobody should try to make India as another Islamic country, otherwise it will be a doomsday for India and the world,” the judge had said in his order.
Not only the political parties, even top lawyers and retired judges condemned his comment and sought his impeachment even.
Asaduddin Owaisi, President of AIMIM and Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad expressed his anguish and surprise and said the judge who took oath on Indian Constitution can’t give such a wrong judgment.
“India will not become an Islamic country. India will remain a plural and secular country,” said Owaisi on Justice Sen’s reported observation that nobody should try to make India another Islamic country.
“What sort of judgement is this? Will the judiciary and the government take note of this,” he said.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist said that “Justice Sen reflects his political faith akin to RSS ideology of Hindu Rashtra“.
The CPI(M) also alleged that his views will increase discord in the region and that Justice Sen has “lost his moral right to continue in the office as a judge in a High Court”.
NDTV quoted, from the official website of the Meghalaya High Court, what Justice Sen wrote in his clarification, “I do not belong to any political party nor have I got any dream to get any political berth after my retirement and neither is my judgment politically motivated or influenced by any party.”
“Secularism is one of the basic structures of our Indian Constitution. It should not further be divided on the basis of religion, caste, creed, community or language… I would also like to clarify here that in my judgment nowhere I have said anything against secularism and my judgment makes references to the history and one cannot change the history,” he wrote.
“Whatever is the truth, history and real ground reality, on that basis I have written my judgement to save the citizens of India irrespective of caste, creed, religion or language and people should understand the history of India and live in peace and harmony,” Justice Sen said in his defence and stressed his judgement was not outside the ambit of the constitution.
(With inputs from NDTV)
