Life of upright journalist was snuffed out: CBI judge

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, January 17

CBI Special Judge Jagdeep Singh did not consider the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati as rarest of rare case to attract death penalty, but said “it is the journalist in the traditional mould - the one who is inspired by idealistic fervour to serve the cause of truth - who becomes casualty”.

Praying for ordering the punishment in murder case to run concurrently with the earlier 20-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) in the rape case, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Thursday told the judge that “he has been involved in various social, religious and other welfare activities like blood donation, tree plantation, drug eradication to more than six crore people, cleanliness, fight against female foeticide as well as help to the needy at the time of natural calamities”. He claimed that he had a “permanent trouble of severe backache and is also suffering from acute diabetes for the last more than nine years”.

He added that his “entire family is free from any criminal record except the present spate of cases after 2002 which is the handiwork of forces against and opposing welfare activities done by him and Dera Sacha Sauda”.

But the judge said, “Known as ‘Fourth Estate’ in a modern state, press is ideally the watchdog of the democracy. Because of its vast potential for influencing the public opinion, it is generally acknowledged that it has the power to make or mar the career of any individual or organisation. Journalism is a serious business, which ignites the desire to seek and report the truth and as such facilitates a better society and world. There is little glamour to the job, no big reward and in the traditional mould, it is predominantly a public service in the sincerest sense.”

The judgment added, “Any honest and dedicated journalist has always an uphill task to report the truth, especially concerning a powerful person enjoying political patronage across party lines. Some time a journalist finds himself or herself present with an offer to choose either ‘the carrot’ or ‘the stick’. Those who refuse often face the consequences, sometimes even to the extent of getting eliminated. If he submits to the powerful, he loses credibility; if he defies, he gets killed.”

Regarding Ram Chander Chhatrapati, he said, “In the instant case, life of an innocent citizen and an upright, idealistic journalist was snuffed out simply because he dared to write about the activities of a powerful head of some dera. However, mobocracy and violent attacks on innocent citizens have no place in a democracy like ours which is governed by rule of law and sound constitutional norms. The pillars of democracy cannot be allowed to be crushed.”