India Uncut

This blog has moved to its own domain. Please visit IndiaUncut.com for the all-new India Uncut and bookmark it. The new site has much more content and some new sections, and you can read about them here and here. You can subscribe to full RSS feeds of all the sections from here. This blogspot site will no longer be updated, except in case of emergencies, if the main site suffers a prolonged outage. Thanks - Amit.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Ravi Shastri and Section 295 (a)

PTI reports:
A case was filed against former Test cricketer Ravi Shastri in a local court here for allegedly hurting the religious feelings of Hindus by reportedly eating beef during the India-South Africa Test match in Johannesburg.

[...]

The complainant alleged that Shastri has hurt the feelings of Hindus by reportedly eating beef in full knowledge and by commenting, "though I know that I am a Brahmin, I can't stop myself from eating the dish (billtang)."
I'm no fan of Shastri's commentary -- he is a master of the kind of cliches I describe here -- but would the cops take me seriously if I complained that I was offended by it? Giving offence should not be a crime, no matter what the context is. One of the laws the case has been filed under is Section 295(a), and I repeat the assertion I first made here -- that law should not exist.

(Link via email from Gaurav.)

Update: The Rational Fool points out the Shastri was merely following our scriptures when he ate beef. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states:
VI-iv-18: He who wishes that a son should be born to him who would be a reputed scholar, frequenting the assemblies and speaking delightful words, would study all the Vedas and attain a full term of life, should have rice cooked with the meat of a vigorous bull or one more advanced in years, and he and his wife should eat it with clarified butter. Then they would be able to produce such a son. [My emphasis.]
I don't know about the butter, but I'm sure Shastri could argue that the issue stands clarified.

Meanwhile, Gautam John points to how a bunch of academics are fighting for the freedom of expression, while a blogger's been driven out of town because of something he wrote on his blog.

No, no, not me. Not yet.
amit varma, 2:03 AM| write to me | permalink | homepage

I recommend: