A video of activist Harsh Mander went viral on social media this week. In the video, Mander is seen addressing a gathering at Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI) University on December 16, 2019, during an anti-CAA protest.
According to the clip, he is allegedly heard saying, "I have been observing the Supreme Court for sometime...In its judgment in NRC, Ayodhya and Kashmir, the Supreme Court has failed to protect humanity, equality and secularism." He added that we can longer bank on Supreme Court and Parliament and have to come on the street to get justice.
Mander had moved the top court seeking FIR against BJP leaders for making hate speeches and accused them of inciting riots. However the apex court made sharp remarks on the alleged video clip on Wednesday, March 4. CJI Bobde told Mander's lawyer Karuna Nandy: "If this is what he feels about the Supreme Court, why should we hear him at all?...This is what you think of this court...before we hear you (Mander's lawyer), you go through the transcript and respond to these allegations."
Meanwhile, support poured in for the activist on social media. Later on Friday, the Supreme Court made it clear that it had not issued a contempt notice to Mander and said it would hear the plea on April 15.
What did Harsh Mander actually say at Jamia Milia Islamia? Here is the full translated text:
First of all, I will raise a slogan- what are we fighting for and who are we fighting for? Firstly, the fight is for our country, then it is for our Constitution and then for love.
This government has not only declared war against Muslims brothers and sisters but against the way the country was imagined to be during the independence struggle.
It was our belief, after the British left India that it wouldn't matter whether you believed in Bhagwan or Allah or even if you don't believe in anything. Your caste wouldn't matter, nor the language you speak would matter. Either you are poor or rich, man or woman, you are equal human beings, equal citizens and have as much rights in the country as anybody else.
Today when the Muslims are questioned to prove their love for this country, its important to note that the people who are questioning this haven't participated in the independence struggle and made no sacrifices.
Those Muslim brothers and sisters are present here, you are Indian by choice, the rest of us are Indian by chance. We had no other choice, this was the only country for us. But you had a choice and your ancestors chose to live in this country.
Today, those in power are trying to prove that Jinnah was right and Mahatma Gandhi was wrong. The name of their party should be changed from Bhartiya Janata Party to Bhartiya Jinnah Party beacuse Jinnah had said that this isn't one country, but two - Muslim Pakistan and Hindu Hindustan.
We are saying that this is one country - Hindustan and everyone including Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, atheists, Adivasis, Dalits, rich, poor, man, woman, everyone has equal rights.
To those asking you this question and threatening to take away your rights, a movement has begun against them across the nation and for our Constitution and the soul of our Constitution which is love and brotherhood, to save it, we have hit the streets and will continue to do so.
Our fight won't be won in the Parliament, the political parties which call themselves secular have no moral strength in them anymore to fight. Also, this fight won't be won in the Supreme Court, because we have seen in its previous judgments on NRC, Ayodhya and Kashmir, the Supreme Court has failed to protect humanity, equality and secularism.
We will definitely try as hard as we can, because it is our Supreme Court. However, the final decision will neither be made in the Parliament nor in the Supreme Court.
What will be the future of this country? You all are young, you will decide what kind of future you want to give to your kids. Where will this decision be taken? First, on the streets but more than that it will be decided in our hearts- my hearts, your hearts.
If they want to respond to us with hatred and we respond similarly, then only hatred will deepen. If anyone is spreading darkness in the country and we counter them by spreading more darkness, then darkness will grow thicker. If there is darkness, it can only be countered by lighting a lamp. To their hatred we have only one answer- love.
They will cause violence, incite us to become violent, but we will never commit violence. If we respond with even 2 percent violence, there response will be 100 times greater. But we know what Gandhi ji taught us about violence and injustice.
Most importantly, we have to fight with non-violence. Anyone who incites you to violence and hatred is not your friend. Now, I will raise a slogan – Long live the Constitution, Long live Love.
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