Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Settling scores: On Congress leader Pawan Khera’s arrest

Settling scores: On Congress leader Pawan Khera’s arrest

Pawan Khera’s arrest shows how partisan (पक्षपातपूर्ण, एकतरफा) police action is a serious threat to liberty (स्वतंत्रता)

The brief (संक्षिप्त) arrest of Congress leader and its Media and Publicity Department chairman Pawan Khera, after he was deboarded (get out, exit (from a vehicle or aircraft)) from a Raipur-bound flight, for an allegedly (कथित रूप से) unsavoury (बेस्वाद, अप्रिय) remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is yet another instance of how criminal law (आपराधिक कानून) can be misused to settle political scores. His lawyers managed to obtain an order from the Supreme Court that ensured his interim (अंतरिम, अल्पकालीन) bail (जमानत), but the episode (incident, event, occurrence) highlights (emphasize, underscore, draw attention on, underline) the cavalier (casual, indifferent, dismissive, uninterested, unconcerned (about serious/important matter)) use of the power to arrest under political instruction (order, notice, direction, guidance). It is one thing to denounce (blame, criticize, condemn, charge) a comment as offensive (आपत्तिजनक, अप्रिय) or hurtful, but quite another to read into (to think of something (means more than it really does)) it crimes such as making assertions (दावा) against national integration (एकीकरण), outraging (उल्लंघन करना) religious sentiments (भावुकता, दृष्टिकोण) or causing enmity (शत्रुता, आक्रोश) in society. It becomes an egregious (shocking, horrible/terrible, very bad) misuse of power if police from a distant (faraway, far off, far) State travel all the way (if you do something all the way, you put all your effort into doing it) to effect (प्रभात पड़ना, प्रदर्शन करना) an unwarranted arrest based on a complaint by someone claiming to be offended (hurt, hurt someone’s feelings, annoy, upset, displease, anger, insult, humiliate). The Assam Police, which had arrested Gujarat legislator Jignesh Mevani in April 2022 for calling Mr. Modi ‘a Godse worshipper’ on Twitter and produced him before an Assam court, tried to repeat the exercise against Mr. Khera, but were thwarted (prevent, block, obstruct, hinder) by the Court. It is disconcerting (discomfiting, unsettling, disturbing, troubling) that the police in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled States tend (be inclined, be likely, be disposed, lean, gravitate, be drawn) to act on (comply with, follow, obey, conform to, adhere to, abide by) complaints relating to events that have nothing to do with their jurisdiction (power, right, command, control), except for the incidental (accidental, unintended, resultant) circumstance (context, conditions, situation) that it is reported as news in their geography (region, territory) too, as elsewhere.

Unwarranted insinuations (implication, hint/indication, suggestion) against political leaders are not uncommon when party spokespersons talk to the media, and Mr. Khera’s use of ‘Gautamdas’ as the Prime Minister’s middle name may have touched a raw nerve among Mr. Modi’s supporters who saw in it a sly (devious, deceitful, untrustworthy, manipulative, duplicitous, dishonest) reference to allegations (charge, accusation, indictment) about his proximity (closeness, nearness) to industrialist Gautam Adani. In fact, Mr. Khera had apologised for his comment. The police often tend to register cases for strident (loud & harsh, forceful, discordant, vociferous) and unsavoury (disreputable, unpleasant, disagreeable) remarks made against those in power. However, the need to arrest someone in such cases is questionable. In most instances, as is the case with Mr. Khera, these comments seldom (hardly, rarely, almost never) amount to (be equal to, be equivalent to, be tantamount to, represent) the serious offences mentioned in the FIRs. Malicious or threatening speech may warrant (justify, validate, uphold, endorse, call for) arrest, but strident criticism or tasteless (crude, low, indelicate, tactless, undiplomatic, inappropriate, offensive, unacceptable) comments alone should not. Multiple FIRs in different jurisdictions and attempts to arrest those involved are part of a playbook (strategies) common to rulers in many States. Often lost (missed, neglected, wasted, squandered) in the controversy is the fact that (used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion) effecting arrest on charges that attract less than seven years in prison amounts to a flouting (disregard, dismiss, disrespect, go against, defy, violate, break) of the norms of arrest. Such egregious (shocking, horrible/terrible, very bad) violations (breach, contravention, infringement, breaking, non-observance.court of law (noun) - a place where legal trials happen; court, legal court) will continue as long as courts of law limit their protection to grant of bail or clubbing of FIRs, instead of hauling up (to force (someone) to appear for trial (in a court of law)) the police officers and bureaucrats (official, administrator, office-holder, office-bearer, functionary, mandarin) involved for their partisan action.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.partisan (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पक्षपातपूर्ण, एकतरफा
English Meaning - biased, prejudiced, one-sided.

2.liberty (noun)

Hindi Meaning - स्वतंत्रता
English Meaning - freedom, independence.

3.brief (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संक्षिप्त
English Meaning - short, temporary, short-lived, transient, momentary.

4.allegedly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - कथित रूप से
English Meaning - reportedly, supposedly, purportedly, ostensibly, apparently.

5.unsavoury (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - बेस्वाद, अप्रिय
English Meaning - disreputable, unpleasant, disagreeable.

6.criminal law (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आपराधिक कानून
English Meaning - a complex system of laws concerned with punishment of individuals who commit crimes.

7.interim (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अंतरिम, अल्पकालीन
English Meaning - provisional, temporary, short-term, transitional. (Interim bail is a bail granted for a short period of time).

8.bail (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जमानत
English Meaning - conditional, temporary release of an arrested/imprisoned person when a specified amount of security is deposited or pledged (as cash or property) to ensure his/her appearance in court when required.

9.offensive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - आपत्तिजनक, अप्रिय
English Meaning - displeasing, objectionable, disagreeable, hateful; affronting, contemptuous, outrageous, outraging.

10.assertion (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दावा
English Meaning - declaration, statement, contention.

11.integration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - एकीकरण
English Meaning - unification, consolidation, inclusion.

12.outrage (verb)

Hindi Meaning - उल्लंघन करना
English Meaning - offend, infuriate, stir up, displease/anger.

13.sentiment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भावुकता, दृष्टिकोण
English Meaning - point of view, attitude, opinion.

14.enmity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शत्रुता, आक्रोश
English Meaning - hostility, bitterness, rancour, resentment.

15.effect (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रभात पड़ना, प्रदर्शन करना
English Meaning - carry out, perform, discharge, accomplish, execute, complete.

16.deboard (verb)

English Meaning - get out, exit (from a vehicle or aircraft).

17.settle a score (phrase)

English Meaning - take revenge, hit back at someone, retaliate, get even, pay someone back.

18.episode (noun)

English Meaning - incident, event, occurrence.

19.highlight (verb)

English Meaning - emphasize, underscore, draw attention on, underline.

20.cavalier (adjective)

English Meaning - casual, indifferent, dismissive, uninterested, unconcerned (about serious/important matter).

21.instruction (noun)

English Meaning - order, notice, direction, guidance.

22.denounce (verb)

English Meaning - blame, criticize, condemn, charge.

23.read into (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to think of something (means more than it really does).

24.egregious (adjective)

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

25.distant (adjective)

English Meaning - faraway, far off, far.

26.all the way (phrase)

English Meaning - if you do something all the way, you put all your effort into doing it.

27.unwarranted (adjective)

English Meaning - unjustified, unnecessary, unreasonable, uncalled for, groundless.

28.offend (verb)

English Meaning - hurt, hurt someone’s feelings, annoy, upset, displease, anger, insult, humiliate.

29.thwart (verb)

English Meaning - prevent, block, obstruct, hinder.

30.disconcerting (adjective)

English Meaning - discomfiting, unsettling, disturbing, troubling.

31.tend (verb)

English Meaning - be inclined, be likely, be disposed, lean, gravitate, be drawn.

32.act on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - comply with, follow, obey, conform to, adhere to, abide by.

33.have nothing to do with (phrase)

English Meaning - be unconnected with, be unrelated to.

34.jurisdiction (noun)

English Meaning - power, right, command, control.

35.jurisdiction (noun)

English Meaning - territory, region, province, district, area (to which a court of law or other institution can exercise its authority over suits, cases, appeals etc.).

36.incidental (adjective)

English Meaning - accidental, unintended, resultant.

37.circumstance (noun)

English Meaning - context, conditions, situation.

38.geography (noun)

English Meaning - region, territory.

39.insinuation (noun)

English Meaning - implication, hint/indication, suggestion.

40.touch/strike/hit a raw nerve (phrase)

English Meaning - provoke a strong reaction by referring to a sensitive subject.

41.sly (adjective)

English Meaning - devious, deceitful, untrustworthy, manipulative, duplicitous, dishonest.

42.allegation (noun)

English Meaning - charge, accusation, indictment.

43.proximity (noun)

English Meaning - closeness, nearness.

44.strident (adjective)

English Meaning - loud & harsh, forceful, discordant, vociferous.

45.unsavoury (adjective)

English Meaning - disreputable, unpleasant, disagreeable.

46.as is (phrase)

English Meaning - as it is, as it turns out, as it stands.

47.seldom (adverb)

English Meaning - hardly, rarely, almost never.

48.amount to (verb)

English Meaning - be equal to, be equivalent to, be tantamount to, represent.

49.first information report (FIR) (noun)

English Meaning - a written document prepared by the police when they receive information about the commission of a cognizable offence.

50.malicious (adjective)

English Meaning - evil-intentioned, ill-natured, vengeful, defamatory, hostile.

51.warrant (verb)

English Meaning - justify, validate, uphold, endorse, call for.

52.tasteless (adjective)

English Meaning - crude, low, indelicate, tactless, undiplomatic, inappropriate, offensive, unacceptable.

53.playbook (noun)

English Meaning - strategies.

54.lost (adjective)

English Meaning - missed, neglected, wasted, squandered.

55.the fact that (phrase)

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

56.attract (verb)

English Meaning - evoke, lure, invite.

57.flout (verb)

English Meaning - disregard, dismiss, disrespect, go against, defy, violate, break.

58.a aflouting (noun)

English Meaning - disregard, negligence, non-observance, dismissiveness, disrespectfulness/full of contempt.

59.norm (noun)

English Meaning - standard, convention, regulation.

60.egregious (adjective)

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

61.violation (noun)

English Meaning - breach, contravention, infringement, breaking, non-observance.court of law (noun) - a place where legal trials happen; court, legal court.

62.court of law (noun)

English Meaning - a place where legal trials happen; court, legal court.

63.club (verb)

English Meaning - join, combine (the FIRs filed against an accused in different states and at various police stations.

64.haul up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to force (someone) to appear for trial (in a court of law).

65.bureaucrat (noun)

English Meaning - official, administrator, office-holder, office-bearer, functionary, mandarin.