Daily Newsings are musings on the daily news.
Today’s big story is the release of Prabir Puryakastha on bail after being imprisoned under the Unlawful Activites (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for more than 7 months.
Prabir Puryakastha is the founder of the news portal Newsclick. He was arrested on October 3, 2023, under the allegation that Newsclick was being funded by Chinese firms with the purpose of causing harm to India. None of the allegations have been proven.
We don’t know if Newsclick was funded by Chinese firms with the intent to harm India. What is known for certain is that Newsclick published news that was often critical of actions of the government. And the Government has tried to silence him.
The Supreme Court gave a scathing critique on the manner in which Puryakastha was arrested and denied his judicial rights. It said that the Delhi Police breached his fundamental right to be informed of the reason for his detention. Moreover, the Delhi Police acted deceitfully in informing Puryakastha’s legal team while some other lawyer was made to represent him in the trial court which allowed the Delhi Police to keep him in prison. Thus, he was also not allowed his lawyer of choice in fighting for his case. This was done in order to secure his arrest by crooked means.
Media has often been called the “watchdog of democracy.” A democracy can only be strong if the people know the truth about what is happening. If the elected representative government is doing things that are not right, the people who elected them have a moral right to know. This is the role of the media. And this is what people like Prabir Puryakastha were doing. But in arresting him (with unproven charges) and other journalists like him, the Government is trying to silence the media. The Government is trying to suppress the truth.
But truth and justice will always prevail.
The verse from the Hindu scriptures which was adopted as the national motto of India captures this truth quite well: Satyamev Jayate — truth alone triumphs. We could modify it to say “Truth alone will triumph.” Justice will triumph.
In criticising the actions of the Delhi Police and the Enforcement Directorate, the Supreme Court has upheld justice.
In fact, the Bible tells us that the Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:19).
Justice will triumph. Whether now or after Jesus the King returns in bodily form to the earth, justice will surely triumph. King Jesus will judge the nations in justice and righteousness.
The triumph of justice on an individual case in the Supreme Court of India is a reminder to us that justice will surely triumph — now or later. And in that truth, we can rejoice!
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