Moves afoot by some ‘Sangh Parivar’ outfits calling for erecting statues of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse came in for sharp condemnation by Justice D. Hariparanthaman, a sitting judge of the Madras High Court on Saturday.
Addressing a meeting here, organised by social activist P. Rathinam against the Hindu Mahasabha’s decision to install Godse’s statues on January 30, Gandhiji’s martyrdom day, the judge said that no murderer, much less the one who killed the Father of the Nation, could be eulogised.
“To be frank, I differ with Mahatma Gandhi on many issues as Dr. Ambedkar did. But that does not mean we can discount the fact that it was he who spearheaded the freedom movement. One has no right to take the life of the other just because they have differences of opinion,” he said.
Stating that neither Godse nor his brother and co-conspirator Gopal Godse ever repented for their act of killing Mahatma Gandhi, he said that Gopal Godse, who was released from prison in 1967 after 18 years of incarceration, had even justified the killing until his death in 2005.
The judge pointed out that in an interview to a leading foreign magazine in February 2000, Gopal Godse had reportedly said: “Non-violence is not a principle at all. He (Gandhi) did not follow it. In politics, you cannot follow non-violence. You cannot follow honesty. Every moment, you have to give a lie.”
Wondering if politicians would agree with his statement, the judge asked how come people who claimed to be “religious, God fearing and pious” had chosen to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi on the way to a prayer meeting, and doubt if he had uttered the words ‘Hey Ram’ while breathing his last.
“The Constitution recognises the right to practise, profess and preach any religion. But it does not recognise fundamentalism. People can be religious but should not act as if they are possessed by a religious ghost. No religious group has the right to claim superiority over the other,” he said.
Coming down on all forms of radical, religious fundamentalism, Mr. Justice Hariparanthaman said he condemned the act of demolishing the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya (on December 6, 1992), in the same breath as he denounced the recent killing of innocent schoolchildren by Taliban militants in Pakistan, and the earlier destruction of Buddhist statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban. “I would call those who demolished the Mosque (in Ayodhya) as Hindu Taliban,” the Judge said.
The judge also took exception to a statement reportedly made by Supreme Court Judge Anil R. Dave at an international conference on August 2 that he would introduce ‘Bhagwad Gita and Mahabharata’ in school syllabus if he had been the ruler of the country.
In his speech, Mr. Rathinam said that it was high time for socially conscious citizens to rally together and raise their voice against fascist forces.
