SaafNations ( A Global Forum for Citizens of Humanity )

N THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIACRIMINAL ORIGINAL JURISDICTIONCRIMINAL CONTEMPT PETITION NO. 10 OF 2009INI.A. NO. 1374, 1474, 2134 OF 2007INWRIT PETITION (c) NO. 202 OF 1995 IN THE MATTER OF: AMICUS CURIAE …PETITIONER VERSUS PRASHANT BHUSHAN & ANOTHER …RESPONDENTS AFFIDAVIT IN REPLY ON BEHALF OF RESPONDENT NO.1 I, Prashant Bhushan s/o Shri Shanti Bhushan, r/o B-16, Sector 14, Noida, do hereby solemnly state and affirm as under:1. That I am the first Respondent in this Contempt Petition and am fully acquainted with the facts of this case. I have read and understood the contents of the Contempt Petition filed by Shri Harish Salve in his capacity as Amicus Curiae and my reply to it is as under:2. From the report in Tehelka, which is relied upon as the basis of the alleged contempt, reliance has been placed on the following sentences: Firstly,“In my view, out of the last 16 to 17 Chief Justices, half have been corrupt. I can’t prove this, though we had evidence against Punchhi, A...

Madhu Koda's arrest a few days ago follows the pattern established in our country in dealing with the rich and powerful caught committing acts of criminality. Initially there is a lot of righteous hoo-ha in the media about no one being above the law of the land. Those caught protest their innocence, accuse unnamed individuals for conspiring against them and threaten dire consequences if they are prosecuted. Most are taken ill: Koda developed stomach trouble, Buta Singh's son Sarabjot got heart problems and spent a few days in hospital. Doctors never tell them, "There is nothing wrong with you," and send them home. Instead, they carry out all the tests they can think of before discharging them. That gives them sufficient time to the accused to plan out their strategy, consult lawyers and friends on how to get out of the clutches of the law. They spend a few days in judicial custody and apply for bail. Once out on bail, they are no longer newsworthy and soon everyone fo...

Copenhagen: seize the chance The Hindu 07 December, 2009 Today 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step of speaking with one voice through a common editorial. We do so because humanity faces a profound emergency. Unless we combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage our planet, and with it our prosperity and security. The dangers have been becoming apparent for a generation. Now the facts have started to speak: 11 of the past 14 years have been the warmest on record, the Arctic ice-cap is melting, and last year’s inflamed oil and food prices provide a foretaste of future havoc. In scientific journals the question is no longer whether humans are to blame, but how little time we have got left to limit the damage. Yet so far the world’s response has been feeble and half-hearted. Climate change has been caused over centuries, has consequences that will endure for all time, and our prospects of taming it will be determined in the next 14 days. We call on the...