Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Demolition squad: On the Supreme Court and ‘bulldozer justice’

Demolition squad: On the Supreme Court and ‘bulldozer justice’

Courts cannot be oblivious (अनजान, बेख़बर) to the communal symbolism (प्रतीकवाद, प्रतीकात्मकता) of the bulldozer

In raising questions about the legality of the demolition of houses belonging to alleged (कथित, आरोपित) offenders (अपराधी, दोषी), the Supreme Court of India has articulated a valid and widespread (व्यापक, सर्वव्यापी) concern about the use of the bulldozer as a form of retribution (प्रतिशोध). The targeted (intended, directed (at a particular group)) demolition of Muslim houses has become part of the governance (शासन, प्रशासन) model in BJP-ruled States and if the Court can end the impunity (दंडमुक्ति) with which these extra-legal measures (उपाय, कदम) are used by those in power, it would be a wholesome (proper, correct, right-minded, respectable) intervention (हस्तक्षेप). As Justice B.R. Gavai, heading a Division Bench (a bench of two or three judges is called a division bench) with Justice K.V. Viswanathan, remarked, the law indeed (वास्तव में) does not permit anyone’s home to be demolished just because they are accused in a case, and it cannot happen even in the case of a convict (दोषी, अपराधी). The judiciary (न्यायपालिका) cannot be oblivious to the political symbolism that the bulldozer has acquired as an instrument (साधन, माध्यम, यंत्र) of collective punishment (सामूहिक दंड) inflicted on those the authorities (officials, officialdom, the people in charge, the bureaucracy) label (call, term, name, describe, identify) as rioters. There are instances of the houses of named suspects (suspected person, accused) being demolished, without regard (consideration, concern, sympathy, thought, mind, interest, attention, heed) to the fact that (used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion) the rest of the family may have nothing to do with (be unconnected with, be unrelated to; steer clear of, keep away from, avoid, evade) the offence (crime, wrongdoing, illegal act, misdeed; breach, violation of the law). However, considering that local laws do permit removal of encroachments (an unauthorized intrusion onto a neighboring property through the creation or extension of a physical structure above or below the surface of land; intrusion, infiltration, incursion, trespass, invasion, breach, violation, impingement) and unauthorised (unofficial, unlicensed, unapproved, disallowed, illegal, prohibited) constructions, the Bench has articulated (express, voice, communicate, convey, talk of, mention) its intention to lay down (formulate, stipulate, frame, prescribe, promulgate) uniform guidelines on a pan-India basis to streamline (make something efficient; make something well organized; make something simplified) the procedure for action against such structures. Observations (remark, comment, statement, pronouncement) by Justice Viswanathan indicate that these may involve the manner in which unauthorised structures are to be identified, notices issued to those concerned and a fair hearing (lawsuit, proceedings, inquiry, legal proceedings, legal action) given to them before any action.

It is here that the Court should tread carefully. The laying down (formulation, stipulation, framing, prescription, promulgation) of guidelines should not send out (give out, convey, express) a message that the obvious correlation (connection, link, relationship, association, correspondence) between incidents of communal violence, and the demolitions that follow them, can be blurred (make indistinct/unclear, make vague, unfocus) by administrative trickery (deception, cheating, double-dealing, duplicity, intrigue, falsification, misrepresentation). In many cases backdated (retrospective, retroactive, backward-looking) eviction notices are produced to justify these demolitions, even as obvious gloating over the inhabitants’ (residents; populace, population, people) plight betrays (reveal, disclose, show, exhibit, uncover, expose) the political and communal motive. The idea of digitalising eviction (removal, dispossession, dislodgement, clearance) notices may address (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out) the problem of backdated notices, but it may not be possible to make the transition (change) in all parts of the country. The real question that the Court should grapple with (struggle, deal with, cope with, face, confront, withstand, stand firm against, stand up to) is whether the claim (assertion, affirmation, statement, declaration) that only encroachments are being demolished is enough to justify the egregious (shocking, horrible/terrible, very bad) violation of the rule of law (it is described as “a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards) and absence of due process ((equally and fairly) correct process; fair treatment) in several recent instances in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi. It ought to be clear by now that the ruling party in these States seeks (try, aim, attempt) to gain political mileage (benefit, advantage, gain) by giving the impression (feeling, belief, thought, opinion, perception, image, view) that the regime (government) is acting sternly (strictly, severely, stringently) against anti-social elements, even while thinly (lightly/poorly) masking (hide, conceal, cover up, veil, obscure, camouflage, cloak, screen) the blatantly (distinctly, candidly, clearly, publicly, fragrantly, unashamedly, shamelessly) communal action by passing it off as an anti-encroachment drive (push, initiative, enterprise).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.oblivious (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अनजान, बेख़बर
English Meaning - unaware, heedless, unconcerned, unmindful.

2.symbolism (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतीकवाद, प्रतीकात्मकता
English Meaning - comparison, figuration, depiction, representation, metaphor, figurative expression.

3.alleged (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कथित, आरोपित
English Meaning - supposed, claimed, professed, purported, reported, ostensible.

4.offender (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अपराधी, दोषी
English Meaning - criminal, culprit, wrongdoer, lawbreaker, perpetrator.

5.widespread (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - व्यापक, सर्वव्यापी
English Meaning - general, common, prevalent, all-round, omnipresent, ubiquitous, far-reaching.

6.retribution (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिशोध
English Meaning - retaliation, reprisal, counterstroke; revenge, vengeance, counterattack, recrimination, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, tit for tat.

7.governance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शासन, प्रशासन
English Meaning - administration, regime.

8.impunity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दंडमुक्ति
English Meaning - exemption from punishment, freedom from punishment, immunity, indemnity, non-liability.

9.measure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपाय, कदम
English Meaning - action, step, procedure.

10.intervention (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हस्तक्षेप
English Meaning - the process of intervening in something; involvement, interference.

11.indeed (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - वास्तव में
English Meaning - actually, in actuality, in reality, really, as a matter of fact, certainly, truly, in fact.

12.convict (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दोषी, अपराधी
English Meaning - criminal, offender, lawbreaker.

13.the judiciary (noun)

Hindi Meaning - न्यायपालिका
English Meaning - a branch of government in which judicial power is vested.

14.instrument (noun)

Hindi Meaning - साधन, माध्यम, यंत्र
English Meaning - factor, medium, means, mechanism, vehicle.

15.collective punishment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सामूहिक दंड
English Meaning - a form of sanction/ban imposed on persons or a group of persons in response to a crime committed by one of them or a member of the group.

16.squad (noun)

English Meaning - mob, gang, group.

17.bulldozer justice (noun)

English Meaning - the extra-legal measure of demolishing properties owned by alleged offenders, often without a proper legal process.

18.belong (verb)

English Meaning - be owned by, be the property of, be in the ownership of.

19.articulate (verb)

English Meaning - express, voice, communicate, convey, talk of, mention.

20.targeted (adjective)

English Meaning - intended, directed (at a particular group).

21.extra-legal (adjective)

English Meaning - not regulated/controlled by the law; illegitimate, illegal.

22.wholesome (adjective)

English Meaning - proper, correct, right-minded, respectable.

23.Bench (noun)

English Meaning - a court of law with a number of judges.

24.Constitution Bench (noun)

English Meaning - a bench of the Supreme Court having five or more judges on it. These benches are not a routine phenomenon. Constitution Benches are exceptions, set up only if some circumstances exist).

25.Division Bench (noun)

English Meaning - a bench of two or three judges is called a division bench.

26.inflict (verb)

English Meaning - impose, force, thrust; hand out, mete out, administer, exact.

27.authorities (noun)

English Meaning - officials, officialdom, the people in charge, the bureaucracy.

28.label (verb)

English Meaning - call, term, name, describe, identify.

29.suspect (noun)

English Meaning - suspected person, accused,

30.regard (noun)

English Meaning - consideration, concern, sympathy, thought, mind, interest, attention, heed.

31.the fact that (phrase)

English Meaning - used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion.

32.have nothing to do with (phrase)

English Meaning - be unconnected with, be unrelated to; steer clear of, keep away from, avoid, evade.

33.offence (noun)

English Meaning - crime, wrongdoing, illegal act, misdeed; breach, violation of the law.

34.encroachment (noun)

English Meaning - an unauthorized intrusion onto a neighboring property through the creation or extension of a physical structure above or below the surface of land; intrusion, infiltration, incursion, trespass, invasion, breach, violation, impingement.

35.unauthorised (adjective)

English Meaning - unofficial, unlicensed, unapproved, disallowed, illegal, prohibited.

36.lay down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - formulate, stipulate, frame, prescribe, promulgate.

37.pan- (combining form/prefix)

English Meaning - all-inclusive; of everything, all.

38.streamline (verb)

English Meaning - make something efficient; make something well organized; make something simplified.

39.observation (noun)

English Meaning - remark, comment, statement, pronouncement.

40.hearing (noun)

English Meaning - lawsuit, proceedings, inquiry, legal proceedings, legal action.

41.laying down (noun)

English Meaning - formulation, stipulation, framing, prescription, promulgation.

42.send out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - give out, convey, express.

43.correlation (noun)

English Meaning - connection, link, relationship, association, correspondence.

44.blur (verb)

English Meaning - make indistinct/unclear, make vague, unfocus.

45.trickery (noun)

English Meaning - deception, cheating, double-dealing, duplicity, intrigue, falsification, misrepresentation.

46.backdated (adjective)

English Meaning - retrospective, retroactive, backward-looking.

47.eviction (noun)

English Meaning - removal, dispossession, dislodgement, clearance.

48.gloat over (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - rejoice, relish, enjoy greatly, delight in, boast about, be pleased, feel satisfaction, take pleasure.

49.inhabitant (noun)

English Meaning - residents; populace, population, people,

50.plight (noun)

English Meaning - predicament, emergency, tight spot, difficulty, trouble, quandary, dilemma, problem, muddle, mix-up, confusion, complication, imbroglio, entanglement, mire.

51.betray (verb)

English Meaning - reveal, disclose, show, exhibit, uncover, expose.

52.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

53.transition (noun)

English Meaning - change.

54.grapple with (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - struggle, deal with, cope with, face, confront, withstand, stand firm against, stand up to.

55.claim (noun)

English Meaning - assertion, affirmation, statement, declaration.

56.egregious (adjective)

English Meaning - shocking, horrible/terrible, very bad.

57.violation (noun)

English Meaning - breach, contravention, infringement, breaking, non-observance.

58.rule of law (phrase)

English Meaning - it is described as “a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards.

59.due process (phrase)

English Meaning - (equally and fairly) correct process; fair treatment.

60.seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

61.mileage (noun)

English Meaning - benefit, advantage, gain.

62.impression (noun)

English Meaning - feeling, belief, thought, opinion, perception, image, view.

63.regime (noun)

English Meaning - government.

64.sternly (adverb)

English Meaning - strictly, severely, stringently.