The Dreyfus Affair Parallel: An Innocent Man Framed
- Justice Yashwant Varma’s Case – A Setup?
- What Delhi Lawyers Say About Justice Varma
- The Flawed Logic Behind the Allegations
- A Call for Transparency & Fairness in Judicial Trials
Justice Katju’s Verdict: Media’s Role in the Witch Hunt
Justice Markandey Katju draws parallels between Justice Yashwant Varma’s case & the Dreyfus affair, calling it a media-led witch hunt. Read why he believes Varma is innocent...
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| Justice Katju Defends Justice Yashwant Verma, Calls Out Media Trial |
J'accuse
By Justice Markandey Katju
The Justice Yashwant Varma episode reminds me of the Dreyfus affair in France, in which an innocent man suffered terribly due to false allegations against him
For several days I have been considering the incident relating to Justice Varma, and now I am convinced he is innocent, and it was a set up by someone, and he has been framed.
I have written a short piece about this :
It is true I have known Justice Varma's family in Allahabad for 3 generations, and therefore can be accused of bias in his favour.
But as a judge for 20 years I have built up a mindset of looking at things objectively, detached from any bias.
As I mentioned in my article above, I met several Delhi lawyers, and they all spoke highly of him as an outstanding judge, having all the qualities of a great judge--patience, courtesy, integrity, and deep knowledge of law.
As regards the incident in question, a simple question should be asked : will anyone take bribe of a huge amount in such a crude manner and keep sacks of cash in an outhouse where it can be easily discovered ? The very idea is preposterous. One would get it deposited in a secret haven abroad, or take it in the form of a flat or other property in Dubai, Singapore, or elsewhere.
In my opinion Justice Varma is one of the most outstanding judges in India, and he has been framed, pilloried and subjected to a vicious, savage, and excruciating media trial by our largely worthless Indian media.
This being the case, I thought it my duty to act the way the great French writer Emile Zola did when he discovered that Captain Dreyfus, an innocent man, had been wrongly framed, and pronounce against the Indian media 'J'accuse'
(Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge, of the Supreme Court of India, and former Chairman, of the Press Council of India. The views expressed are his own)
