Litigation As Punishment

EDITORIAL

UNDER our slow and time-unbound justice system, litigation would rate as the highest form of punishment. A case was filed in Haridwar by a lawyer against painter M F Hussain for his two “offensive” paintings, Bharat Mata and Krishna. As Hussain did not appear before the court, it ordered attachment of his property in Mumbai. Call it an infringement on artistic freedom or whatever you will, the world’s happiest man would be the litigant. Hussain shot into controversy by painting ‘nude’ portraits of some Hindu goddesses four years ago. At least nine cases have been filed against him in various courts of the country. Hussain, instead of taking the cases seriously and honouring the court summons, stayed out of the country to avoid them. This was not the right approach. The Hardwar court issued him a number of summons. But he did not appear. Probably he was calculating that appearing before courts all across the country would be only satisfying the villainous glands of those who had filed cases against him. But Hussain cannot change the system by running away from it. He should have, and now should, face the litigants right in the courtroom and teach them a lesson six generations of them would remember. He should expose the prejudiced, sick and vindictive minds of the litigants and establish the rule of sanity, individual liberty and artistic freedom for future generations. That would be the public hanging of communalism.

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