INDIAN INSTITUTE
FOR RESEARCH INTO TRUE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER NO 35
OF
1 News and
current affairs
1.1 An Apology
We are sorry that
we could not publish the newsletters due on 16 February and
1.2 E Mail
address
Mr Godbole can
now be contacted on 14226.1410@compuserve.com
1.3 Savarkar’s
memorial at
In 1910 Savarkar
was being sent by ship to
Efforts are being
made by some Indians to erect a memorial to Veer Savarkar at the spot where he
was captured in
Dr Bedekar asked
us how this should be addressed. Our advice was as follows :-
(1) Keep calm and
never use foul language when dealing with the French authorities. Don't curse
Gandhi or Nehru. This is a common mistake we make.
(2) Emphasise
positive aspects of Savarkar's life
(a) Savarkar
proclaimed in 1900 that Absolute Political Independence for
(b) Savarkar
organised a public bonfire of Foreign clothes to express peoples' anger against
the British Rule in
(c) In 1910
Savarkar was sentenced to TRANSPORTATION FOR LIFE TWICE, a sentence
unparalleled in the history of
(d) At the time
of Indian independence in 1947 many leaders of the Congress Party were members
of Savarkar's secret society Abhinav Bharat. These included Balasaheb Kher
(Chief Minister of
(e) First Indian
Governor General of
(f) Congress
Party repented in 1964 and from October of that year Savarkar was granted a
government pension in recognition of his role in Indian freedom struggle.
(g) After self
immolation of Savarkar in 1966, Mrs Gandhi's government printed a postage stamp
in honour of Savarkar.
(h) Greater
London Council, when controlled by the Labour Party had fixed a plaque on the house
in
By erecting a
memorial to Savarkar in
(i) Final public
celebrations for Savarkar birth centenary were held in a committee room of the
House of Commons,
(j) Savarkar
believed in Universal brotherhood of man. In the first part of his
autobiography he stated, " I never myself hated nor did I allow others to
hate English as Englishmen only as oppressors. Once
(k) In his book
describing harsh prison life - My Transportation for Life, Savarkar
stated in 1923 " I have no hatred in my heart for Muslim or Christian
brothers or even for those living in tribes in primitive state. I do not even
despise any of them. I oppose only that section of it vehemently which is
oppressive and violent towards others."
(l) In the letter
of 6 July 1920 he wrote to his brother from jail
" We believe
in an universal state embracing all mankind and wherein all men and women would
be citizens working for and enjoying equally the fruits of this earth and this
sun, this land and this light, which constitute the real Motherland and
Fatherland of man. All other divisions are artificial though
indispensable."
Keep your letter
or E Mail to 300 to 400 words. Do not enter into any unnecessary arguments. The
above points are sufficient.
Letters / E Mails
should come from organisations instead of individuals. For example your E Mail
should be sent as from the President of the Institute for Oriental Studies,
rather than from an individual named Dr Bedekar.
* Postscript: -
Further enquiries by Mr Dhopate of Mumbai revealed that EKTA was a fictitious
body. (19 December 1998)
* Once a monument
is erected, we must ensure that all the Indians visiting
1.4 Some
misconceptions about Savarkar
Several E Mails
were exchanged about Savarkar's memorial at
Some corrections
and additions
Having read some
reactions to objection to above memorial please allow me to make some
corrections and add more information
(1) Savarkar did
not go on a hunger strike. In 1966. He decided to end his life like a true
Yogi. He was fully contented with what he had done all his life. Time comes for
all of us to say good bye to this earth. He fasted for 22 days to end his life.
(2) After his
death, people queued for hours for a last look at him. This included many
dignitaries who never stood in a queue for anything in their life.
(3) First Indian
National Flag
Savarkar was
invited to send a delegate to the International Socialist Conference at
There were three
bands - Green to show vitality of the youth, Saffron to show success, Red to
show the blood sacrifice necessary to achieve success, it also shows strength.
The green colour was NOT there to appease the Muslims.
Sun and Moon
showed eternity (yavat chandra divakarau -
The famous words
Vande Mataram were of course printed on the flag.
The flag was
unfurled by Madam Cama in
Savarkar again
unfurled this flag on 26 October 1937 at Tilak Smarak Mandir of Pune.
(4) Savarkar's Transportation
to Andaman
There are some
misconceptions
Savarkar was NOT
supposed to be kept in prison for 50 years. Normally after 3 years the
prisoners were sent outside the prison to work and later to settle and even
bring their families from
SAVARKAR WAS KEPT
INSIDE THE PRISON FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS IN FLAGRANT VIOLATION OF THE
GOVERNMENT'S OWN POLICY.
Public outcry in
(5) Restrictions
on Savarkar were meant only for 5 years. But British Authorities extended their
duration by 2 years in succession - to a total of 13 years internment.
In the 1930s
Savarkar started to write his memoirs. First part obviously dealt with
political scene in
SAVARKAR WAS
BLUNTLY TOLD BY THE GOVERNOR THAT EVEN WRITING SUCH MEMOIRS WAS STRICTLY
FORBIDDEN, LET ALONE PUBLISHING THEM.
I hope that our
friends are now enlightened and will use the information whenever required.
1.5 Nathuram
Godse censored once again !!
Mr Godbole's
friend Mr Basargekar came to
The play is
banned in
1.6
With the advent
of E Mail Mr Godbole has started a bulletin entitled London Calling. His first
three bulletins are given below
Greetings my
friends
(1) I attended
the Marathi Sammelan held in
(mother tongue)
This attitude
definitely creates a sense of affinity between Marathas (and Indians) and the
Jews.
Why can't Muslims
adopt the same attitude? Why do they maintain that Urdu is their mother tongue?
(2) Recent events
in
(3) There has
been an appeal to help the families of Officers and soldiers who have recently
died in
(4) In view of
the
Vande Mataram
-----------------
BBC WORLD SERVICE
on Wednesday 6 October 1999
Time 0600 to 0630
hrs
Subject -
Speculation about results of the Indian General Elections
Where does the
BBC correspondent in
slums of
How we counteract
is a different matter. But, first we must know our enemy.
* Should we bother
what the BBC says? Mrs Dipali Ghosh of
This may be so.
But, BBC simply uses its name and prestige to create a bad impression about
Moreover,
millions of people all over the world listen to the BBC and its propaganda badly
affects how other people see and behave towards us. So, the BBC does matter. If
it was Radio Tirana, one could not care less.
Complaints
against the BBC should be made to :-
Broadcasting
Standards Commission
7 The Sanctuary
U.K
( Tel 0171-233-0544)
-----------
BBC WORLD SERVICE
0600 to 0630 hrs
Coup in
BBC correspondent
in
The U S senator
remarked, " The days of military dictatorship are over. However, the
Kashmiri people must have the democratic right to decide their future. We did
not care for last 50 years and have been cowards in not forcing
The lesson is DO
NOT BECOME COMPLACENT. Price of freedom is eternal vigilance
*
1.7 Emmeline
Pankhurst : Woman at Arms
On 24 December
1998, the Times wrote in its Editorial column
Emmeline
Pankhurst's crusade for women's suffrage
In an age when
women were supposed to be the demure servants of their husbands, one woman
fought for her sisters' rights with a militancy that would shock even those of
us living at this end of the 20th century. Emmeline Pankhrust, leader of the
suffragettes, found that argument alone won her only stony denials. Peaceful
mass protests turned but won her no vote. She was eventually reduced to the
tactics of the urban terrorist to make even a dent in the resolve of male
politicians not to give women the vote
(But, is this not
the story of the Indian freedom struggle? This is precisely how Tilak and
Savarkar came to the forefront)
Between 1910 and
the start of the First World War in 1914, the suffragettes moved from meetings
to guerrilla war: burning churches and blowing up stations (having first
determined that no one was inside).
Womens’ suffrage
was debated three times in this period but Asquith’s blustering and threats of
resignation kept it off the statute book. Mrs Pankhrust and her daughters spent
their lives in and out of prison.
(This is what
happened to British women in
The war turned
out to be both the end and the beginning of the battle for womens’ suffrage.
Emmeline and her daughter Christabel, called off their campaign and turned
their attention to recruiting men for the front and women for munitions
factories. ....Emmeline turned out to be the shrewder campaigner. When it was
realised at the end of the war that many soldiers and sailors had become
disenfranchised through living away from their addresses for too long, it was a
short step to acknowledging that women too should be rewarded for their
contribution. Along with returning heroes, women aged 30 with right property
qualifications were given the vote in 1918. It had been a long and bloody
battle. And it was won only by the determination of a woman prepared to starve,
to be imprisoned and to be beaten for rights that we take for granted today.
[Of course the
British do not see the Indian freedom struggle in the same light. Mrs
Pankhurst’s determination was shown by Savarkar. Tilak was in
Savarkar used the
second world war as an excellent opportunity to impart military training to
Hindu youth. Subhash Chandra Bose, on advise of Savarkar formed the Indian
National Army with the prisoners of war captured by the Japanese - a daring
attempt indeed. It was at this stage that the British realised that the Indian
Army would no longer be loyal to them. Their days were numbered. Savarkar
proved to be far sighted indeed. ]
1.8 Cleanliness
in our temples
1.8.1 When we
visit our temples we are expected to take off our shoes. That is fine. But
after removal of shoes there are no facilities for washing hands. We invariably
recite Aaratis and take prasad with dirty hands. This must be changed. There is
an exception. When Mr Godbole attended Gayatri Mandir at 201 The Broadway,
1.8.2 On 14
February 1999 Mahashivaratri was celebrated by a group of Hindus at
On such occasions
it should be possible to attend with normal footwear up to a certain point. One
should have to remove shoes only for entering a small sanctum.
One of Godbole’s
friends who had taken considerable efforts for the function was excited at the
prospect of the Queen attending the function. Godbole was furious, ‘You should
have felt ashamed of yourselves. You want a beef eater British queen as your
guest? What kind of man are you ? If she wants to attend as a visitor that is
different matter, but you must not invite her as a guest. You should have
threatened to resign from the organising committee even at the thought of such
an invitation.’
1.9 Anniversaries
21 October 1999
25 years ago
V . Of course, she would not dream of keeping even a square
inch of
9 November 1999
20th anniversary
of
10th anniversary
of the fall of the
15 November 1999
50 years ago,
Nathuram Godse went to the gallows for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi on 31
January 1948
1.10 Millions of Americans are going hungry
On 15 October
1999, Damien Whitworth reported from
It may be the
land of plenty, but for millions of its population are going hungry. According
to e new government survey, despite a reputation for overindulging, huge
numbers of people in the
The government
study offers support for what is one of the most shocking sights in the world’s
richest country: the rows of leaking mobile homes and shacks, complete with
rusting kitchen appliances resting idle on the porch, sheltering people who
have too little to eat.
The poverty that
exists in the South is well known, despite three decades of dogged attempts
from
Even at a time
when the economy is buoyant, at least 10% of the households in 18 states and
Washington DC, the nation’s capital, are going hungry or do not have consistent
access to adequate food, the Agriculture Department said.
In
Overall, however,
the biggest problem exists in the South, where
During this, the
most prosperous economy in decades, it should shock most Americans to learn
that hunger persists and is in every state. Dan Glickman, the Agriculture
Secretary, said. ‘The problem of hunger amid
1.11 HUMAN RIGHTS
(?) IN
The Times of 4
March 1999 carried a report from French Press Agency in
Amnesty
International today denounces the violation of the fundamental rights and
dignity of women in American prisons. Cases of rape, groping and fondling
during body searches, and use of handcuffs and shackles in childbirths, led
Michel Frost, Amnesty’s director in France, to refer to a ‘double sentence’
Accounts compiled
by Amnesty echo a 1997 Justice Department investigation that admitted frequent,
prolonged, close-up and prurient viewing during dressing, showering and use of
toilet facilities in an
Last Match, it
adds, the Federal Bureau of Prisons paid $500,000 ( £312,500 ) to three women
to drop charges against correctional personnel in
In 1997 about
138,000 women were prison. The proportion of blacks and Hispanics greatly
exceeded their representation in the population.
1.12 (British)
Democracy in practice
In June 1999
elections were held for electing Members of the European Parliament.
(MEPs). True, it
was based on proportional representation. Thus the Tories got 36% of votes and
got 36 seats. Labour got 28% votes and got 29 seats. But the turnout itself was
only 25 %. Thus only 9% of TOTAL voters voted for the Tories!! And yet their
leader William Hague boasted that his party got a mandate to defend the Pound -
i.e. to keep
British General
Elections had always been just as bad. If you get 41% of the votes cast you can
be guaranteed a majority in Parliament. The turnout is not likely to be more
than 75%. Thus for the last 50 years the ruling parties came to power by votes
of only 32% of TOTAL VOTERS. That is democracy.
Democracy does
not mean majority rule - it means minority rule
In 1983 / 1987 the
Tories got elected with huge majorities with only 40% votes. In 1997 (May)
Labour came to power with 43% of votes but 63% of seats, giving them a majority
of 170 seats. 312 MPs got less than 50% votes.
It is time we are
told the truth.
1.13 Rushdie states
his case on UN row
On 15 October
1999 the Times published a letter by Salman Rushdie. He says, “I am sorry that
you misquoted me in Tuesday’s Diary, and also misrepresented the nature of
disagreement with the Secretary General of the UN.”
”In my contribution
to the anthology Letters to the Six Billionth World Citizen a letter, which,
incidentally, I was persuaded to write by a personal request from Kofi Annan),
I nowhere referred to overpopulation being the fault of the lies of religious
leaders I did, however, more mildly write : Blame the overcrowded planet on the
misguidedness of the planet’s spiritual guides. .... Too many people are being
born as a result, in part, of religious strictures against birth control. In
the light of the current attitudes of both the Catholic and Islamic priesthood,
is this really a contentious statement ? ......
I referred to the
divisions between great powers of the Muslim world -
1.14 No more ‘
Ladies and Gentlemen ‘
Mr Godbole made a
suggestion for the Marathi Sammelan, held in
The same
suggestion should be followed during all Indian functions
1.15 Savarkar’s
literature
Balarao Savarkar,
until his death used to publish Veer Savarkar’s literature. Our friend Vijay Joshi of Nagothane, Raygad,
that the rights
of publications have now been passed on to Sau Himani Ashok Savarkar. Her
address is :-
500/2A Shanivar
Peth
Raja Thakur Marg
Pune 411,030.
[Telephone
Number Pune 455, 7511]
Following books
used to be available in English
* Hindutva
* My
Transportation for Life ( horrors of prison conditions suffered by Veer
Savarkar when on the
* Hindu Pada
Patshahi ( The struggle of the Marathas for a united Hindu Nation )
* Hindu Rashtra
Darshan (SavarkarÕs speeches as President of Hindu Mahasabha)
* Six Glorious
Epochs of Indian History ( Six major episodes which showed a several revivals of the Hindu nation )
2 Visitors
2.1 Dr Mukund
Kulkarni
He is the
Director of School of Business Administration, in
2.2 Dr Sudhakar
Agarkar
A scientist by
profession, Dr Agarkar got interested in education, in particular education of
Science and Maths teachers. He works for the Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research, Mumbai. He was awarded a scholarship by the Rotary Club,
International to study methods used by the Open University in
(in Marathi). He
also took interest in knowing about all aspects of western life. He went back
to
His booklet of
speeches given in
2.3 Dr P G Shukla
A scholar who
teaches Sanskrit at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan came to
3 Around
Ten such tours
took place
[1] 10 November
1998
Mr Uday Deshpande
of Mumbai had brought a group of 12 acrobats ( 6 boys and 6 girls ). They
displayed their skills at various locations. Mr Godbole attended a programme at
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. He was impressed by their performance and took them out
on the tour on 10 November 1998
[2] 15 November
1998
Shree Haribhau
Vaze is a RSS pracharak in Karnatak
[3] 21 November
1998
Shree Vaze was
very impressed with the visit and strongly recommended it to fellow RSS officers. Accordingly, Shree
Rama Jois, former Chief Justice of Punjab and Harayana made a request for such
a visit. So, on 21 November Shree Jois, Dr Tatvavadi, RSS Chief in
On 24 December
Justice Rama Jois wrote, “ Sunday, 22nd November became a memorable day in my
life as on that day, I had the fortune of having the darshan of the residence
of Shri Shyamji Krishnavarma, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, and places where
Madanlal Dhingra and Udham Singh performed heroic deeds.
The patriotic
feeling with which you took us to these places as you have been doing for
others also, has left an indelible impression in my mind about your dedication
to the cause of our Nation. It would remain an eternal source of impression to
me.”
[4] 21 March 1999
( Sunday )
The seven
attendees were :-
Dr Agarkar of
Kalyan, Maharahstra ( he came for the second time )
Four engineers
from Mahindra BT namely Suraj Nair, Varsha Shende, Rohini Chivate.
Shree Guruswamy,
a manager of Abbey National
Shree Wadhwa,
Community Relations officer, Aylesbury
(Guruswamy and
Wadhwa were studying for post graduate courses together, but had lost contact
for more than 20 years.)
[5] 28 May 1999 (
Friday )
Shree Agashe is a
Director of Thane Janata Sahakari Bank. He and his wife went on a tour of
[6] 5 June 1999 (
Saturday )
Following persons
attended :-
Ramchandra
Patil, resident priest of Arya Samaj,
Sonerao Acharya,
resident priest of Arya Samaj,
Tapendra Kumar,
an IAS officer and Member, Board of Revenue, Government of the
Sou Khakhria of
[7] 13 June 1999
( Sunday )
Attendees were :-
Shree
Satyanarayan, former chief of RSS in U.K
Devajibhai and
Hasmukhbhai from Hounslow, Gautam Thakar and his friend all from Hounslow, Smt Alaka Risbud of
[8] 25 July 1999
( Sunday )
Shree Tanna of
Leicester and 12 of his friends arranged a coach for the tour.
[9] 29 August
1999
This was arranged
specifically for Shree Prabhakar Joshi and his wife Sou Pratibha. Shree Joshi
was formerly a manager at Bhilai Steel Plant in
[10] 25 September
1999 ( Saturday )
Five people
attended. Vidhyadhar Lake, Yogesh Kulkarni and Ajit Vartak, all engineers
working for Mahindra BT, Mangesh Deshpande, a Ph D student from Nottingham
University and Suhas Deo, an architect from Pune took part.
* RSS had
organised a Hindu Marathon on 5 September 99 at
OTHER PLACES
OUTSIDE
Mr Godbole lives
in
John Howard
(1726-90) was an English prison reformer. Imprisoned in
In 1897 Rand and
Ayerst were killed by Chaphekar brothers, for the atrocities during the plague
outbreak in Pune. Lokamanya Tilak was charged with sedition and sentenced to 18
months rigorous imprisonment. He was unable
to take the jail diet. He was altogether unused to onions and they formed a
necessary ingredient of the curry served with rice or bread. His weight came
down by 35 pounds. There were grave doubts about whether he will come out
alive.
Mr S S Setlur, a
Tilak was
transferred from Byculla (Mumbai) to Yeravada (Pune) jail. He was given better
food and his health improved.
{ Bal Gangadhar
Tilak by T V Parvate, 1958, pp 202/202 }
SLIDE SHOWS OF
THE
Two shows by
Godbole took place
(1) On 24 April
1999 Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,
(2) On 3 August 1999
a slide show was arranged at RSS shibir ( training camp for young RSS
workers ) at Hounslow. 60 workers attended.
------------
Dr Agarkar made
several shows in Mumbai and surrounding towns. He wrote
* Aug 16, 1999
As communicated earlier I conducted two slide
shows in my office based on your London Tour. Yesterday yet another slide show
was conducted in Kalyan on the occasion of Independence day. It was organised
by the Vidarbha Yuvak Mandal. The programme went very well. In addition to 20
slides given by you I have used a few more relevant slides like Common bath,
common well at
I now have four
more programme scheduled. They are
1. August 28,
1999: Chatrapati Shikshan Mandal, Kalyan
2. September 3:
1999: Rotary Club of Thane Midtown
3. September 16:
Rotary Club of Deonar, Mumbai
4. October 11:
Rotary Club of Airport, Santacruz, Mumbai
In my future
programmes I would like to make use of some pictures taken in
-----------
On Aug 16, 1999
he wrote to one member of the Rotary Club as follows-
Dear Rtn. Bansi
Dhurandhar
My visit to your
office on Saturday was a pleasant experience. As I had
so much to tell
you I was worried whether I will be able to do that. Thank you sparing your
valuable time. I could give you a glimpse of my memorable experience in
As I told you I
conducted a slide show in Kalyan yesterday on the occasion of an Independence
Day. It was based on m
ìy London Tour with Shri Godbole. I could show some rare
slides and talk to participants about different places associated with
I earnestly
recommend you to spare a day and visit these places. The
person to be
contacted for this is Shri Vasudev Godbole. I am giving his
full address,
telephone number and e-mail address for your record. Get in touch whenever you
an opportunity to visit
Shri Vasudev
Godbole
14, Turnberry
walk
Tel: +44-1234-357
388
Email:144226.1410@compuserve.com
Sincerely,
Dr. Sudhakar C.
Agarkar
To: Bansi
Dhurandhar <bansi@microtrol-india.com>
-------
* On Aug 23, 1999
Dr Agarkar wrote :-
Thank you for
letting me know information regarding John Bunyan and John Howard. I will make
use of this information in my forthcoming presentations. I have already started
using a slide of Tagore's house. In fact I have sent this slide to Mrs. Risbud
also.
The programme on
London Tour that I did on August 15 was organised by Vidarbha Yuvak Mandal at
Kalyan. This is a voluntary organisation of all those who have come from ten
districts of Vidarbha. It is a mixed group. Majority of them are accountants
and administrators. Some of them are academicians like teachers, lecturers,
doctors, engineers, etc. Interesting aspect of this session was that it was
attended by a large number of school going students and their mothers. The
number of children, women and male adults would roughly be 25,25,40
respectively making the total 90. The title of the slide show was LONDON TOUR:
THROUGH THE EYES OF A PATRIOT.
This attendance
of 90 persons in my opinion is quite good taking into account the present
scenario of attendance for academic discussions. The forthcoming session on
Saturday August 28 would be attended by all the teachers of Chhatrapati
Shikshan Mandal. I will send you small rep[1]6ort
after the programme possibly on Monday August 30.
-------------
* On Sun, Aug 29,
1999 Agarkar wrote -
This is to inform
you about yesterdays slide show in Kalyan. It was attended by about 250 persons
mainly teachers. As I had informed your earlier the programme was arranged by
the Chhatrapati Shikshan Mandal. Mr. Nanda Fanse, a close friend of Mukund
Sonpatki was present there. He was moved when I mentioned that Mukund was involved
in putting the plaque of Sawarkar. Of course he had been to
* Prof.Shastri of
Dharmabhaskar ( monthly of Mumbai ) has also agreed to publish an article on
London Tour. I will prepare a separate article and give him. The previous
article that was shown to has already been given to a newspaper for
publication.
---------
* Sept 9, 1999 he
wrote --
Yesterday morning
I was chief guest at Kelkar College Mulund for a function organised by its
Science Association. I spoke on Changing Perspectives on Science Education.
×In this speech I could not use slides form
* As a I communicated to you earlier I spoke on
my stay in
* The other day I
met Captain S.H. Joshi at Badlapur. He was very much impressed by your London
Tour.
-------------
* Thursday,
September 16, 1999 I am going to conduct a slide show in Rotary Club of Deonar
(my sponsor Rotary Club). It would be a 90-minute show of which I will devote
half an hour for London Tour. They are curious to know about this tour from the
time I told them and hence wanted to reserve a big time slot.
SLIDES OF THE
TOUR
Mr Godbole had
prepared a set of 20 slides relating to the tour. Dr Agarkar got duplicate
copies made in Kalyan. Cost Rs 700 plus postage.
One set was given
to Haribhau Vaze, RSS Pracharak of Karnatak. Smt Risbud purchased the second
set. Shree Damle of
4 Anil Society
Near
Katemanivali
Kalyan ( East
) [ Tel 91-251-332521]
Dist Thane 421306
Full text of the
tour is being revised in light of new information that has come to light.
4. Taj Mahal
4.1 Taj symposium
on 14 March 1999
a symposium was organised by our friend Arvind Pradhan of
4.2 Taj Mahal - a
Cock and Bull story
Our friend Dr
Agarkar came to
4.3 Taj Mahal and
the Great British Conspiracy
Dr Agarkar is
making efforts so that above book of Mr Godbole will be reviewed in
Dharmabhaskar monthly of Mumbai.
5. Research
findings
5.1 SURYA
NAMASKARS ARE THE BEST EXERCISES FOR WOMEN
Zest is a health
& beauty magazine for women published in
5.2 SOME
IMPORTANT NOTES RELATING TO GANDHI MURDER TRIAL
(continued from
newsletter 16 )
27. Unbelievable
Judges
First trial took
place at Red Fort of Delhi. Appeal was heard in Punjab High Court in Simla. We
are stunned by the attitude of Justice Khosla as we read before. We are equally
stunned by the behaviour of another judge Justice Achhru Ram
Khosla tells us
:-
High Court had
been forced to abandon its old seat in
The hearing began
on May 2, 1949.
I have known
judges who come to court even more fully prepared than the lawyers engaged by
the parties. I have a suspicion that they do this partly from a sense of their
high duty, but also because of their desire to make an exhibition of their
industry and erudition. No matter how learned and experienced the judge, if he
has made a deep study of a case he will inevitably have formed an opinion
regarding its merits before he comes to court. So, he will start with a bias
and it will be difficult to displace him from his position, for his
subconscious mind will refuse to admit that something important escaped his
close study of the case or that a certain piece of evidence was erroneously
interpreted. A truly liquid mind is a very rare commodity among high judicial
dignitaries.
My friend and
colleague Mr Justice Achhruram has always been a very industrious lawyer. .....
For weeks before the appeal of Godse and his accomplices came up for hearing,
he had been studying the bulky volumes in which the entire evidence, oral and
documentary, was contained. There were
in all 1131 printed pages of foolscap size and a supplementary volume of 115
pages of cyclostyled foolscap paper. .... his habit of industry had a most
unfortunate consequence on the first day of the Godse appeal.
The case was
opened by Mr Banerjee, who started by putting forward an argument that a charge
of conspiracy could not survive the consummation of the purpose of the
conspiracy, and the conspirators could not be tried on multiple charges of
conspiracy to murder Mahatma Gandhi and also of actually murdering him. They
should have been tried for murder and abetment of murder..... no sooner had Mr
Banerjee uttered a few sentences than Mr Justice Achhruram cut him short by
drawing his attention to a number of reported rulings from the various High
Courts of India . Mr Banerjee tried, in vain, to expound the law on the subject
according to his own understanding of it. The merest reference to a decision
which supported his argument was repulsed by a volley of rulings to the
contrary.
My friend Mr
Justice Bhandari, as the senior most judge of the bench, felt that he should be
the one to guide and control the proceedings, which during the course of the
day resolved themselves into an animated duologue with Mr Banerjee being
allowed to utter only a few brief and minor speeches. Bhandari J was greatly
concerned about the unusual trend which the hearing had taken, and thought that
the bench was making a far from dignified exhibition of its judicial attitude
in a case which was drawing very widespread attention. He feared we might
convey the impression that we had already made up our minds about the whole
case and had no wish to examine the merits of any argument advanced on behalf
of the convicted persons.
After the day’s
proceedings were over he came to my chamber and confided to me his irritation
over the day’s proceedings and his misgivings about the future conduct of the
case. He asked me how he should deal with the situation. I agreed with him that
the day had been a very unusual one, and, if the faces of the large audience
were any indication, we seemed to have provided a great deal of entertainment
for the gallery.
But he won’t let
the case proceed. Gopal, we can’t go on like this. The lawyer should be allowed
to argue his case.
Hum, yes. But,
you know, some judges like to talk. They just can’t help chipping in when
counsel is arguing. It happens even in
Don’t you think I
should speak to him ? You see, we have spent five hours over the case and we
haven’t advanced a single step forward.
Well, you might
mention it to him. He won’t like it.
Mr Justice
Achhruram didn’t like it. In fact, he greatly resented it, and for the next few
days relations between two members of the bench were far from cordial. They
hardly spoke to one another, and each greeted the other with a scowl. .....
Khosla is silent
about the events afterwards. Inamdar, the lawyer for Dr Parchure tells us :-
On Monday. 2 May
1949, the full bench of the High Court assembled at 10 a.m ...... Banerji began
his address on behalf of the appellants Apte and Madanlal. ..... We soon
noticed that out of their Lordships on the Bench, His Lordship Justice Achhru
Ram seemed to be acquainted or rather prepared with the Paper Book. When
Banerji ,made any comment son the evidence being read, His Lordship was ready
to quote the counter reference from other witnesses’ statements! Banerji soon
realised the danger, and avoiding comments, podded on, merely reading the
statements in full or in part, as was necessary. In this way, Banerji took up
the whole of 2,3 and 4 May. ( Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday ) of the hearings.
... During the lunch hour on Wednesday, 4 May,
I had a brief talk with Nathuram. He too, was bored with the way the hearing
was proceeding, and was getting impatient while their Lordships settled down
with the facts of the case. Almost as a brain wave, I said to Nathuram, Why not begin your argument tomorrow ? I can.
I will be glad to he replied.
Inamdar then made
an arrangement. Next day Banerji pleaded that he was not feeling well and should
be excused. Inamdar continues, “ Nathuram began on that day, 5 May 1949 at
10.15 a.m ....... The Hon’ble Justice Achhru Ram promptly began referring to
the Paper Book before him and to counter the references, because his Lordship
was prepared with the case. But in the pre-lunch period when Nathuram’s was
warming up and the counter-references were also being confronted, there was an
audible murmur in the audience at what the audience thought was an
interruption. At one stage, a lady sitting in the distinguished visitors rows
was heard audibly whispering to her neighbour in Punjabi Why doesn’t he ( Justice Achhruram ) allow
Nathuram to speak ? In the post-lunch period there were hardly any more
interruptions. Nathuram continued quoting references in support of his
argument, unmindful of the quiet appreciation of his speech. At the end of the
day, we saw the crowd coming out of the court with expressions of appreciations
and amazement.
..... Nathuram stated his arguments over six
days. On the last day, many ladies and even some men were crying and tears
could be seen screaming their checks. .... The Press did not report anything
about Nathuram’s speech.
(The story of the
Red Fort Trial, pp 167-171)
So, even after
Chief Justice Bhandari had a word with Mr Justice Achhruram, he did NOT stop
interrupting the lawyers’ arguments!! It was Nathuram who put a stop to
Achhruram’s arrogance.
And what do we
know about Achhruram ? Inamdar tells us :-
I asked Awasthi
many questions. (Mr Avasthi of the Punjab High Court, was engaged at public
expense to represent Kistayya, who was too poor to pay counsel’s fees. ) ....
With respect to Justice Achhruram he told me that Achhruram was himself a
refugee and in addition was a staunch Arya Samaji to the boot.
Devendra Nath Awasthi,
advocate was a student of Gurukul Kangadi, an Arya Samaji, refugee from
What kind of
human beings are we Hindus? Achhruram was a Punjabee refugee who fled to
We are our worst
enemies - not the Muslims or the British.
5.3 Savarkar’s
financial position ( 1906-1909 )
It is widely
known that Veer Savarkar came to
Savarkar was to
be given Rs 400 every six months. There would be five instalments - a total of
Rs 2,000. The rate of exchange was £1 = Rs 15. Savarkar was to get a total of
Rs 2,000 i.e. £133 and 33 pence or £133
6s 7d. He studied Law for three years. Thus, he only got £44 and 44
pence or £44 8s 11d per year. In his newsletter of 19 M
¸arch 1909 Savarkar said that it cost £1 / wk to stay in India
House for board and lodging. ( He does not specifically say per week, but at
that time such figures given on a weekly basis. For example in 1901 a Police
Constable was paid 25 s 8d [ or £1.28 ]
per week.) It meant that a student would require £52 per year for lodging and
boarding. Savarkar only had £44 and 44 pence.
He did not get enough money for his board and lodge!! He therefore had
to seek help from his father in law.
The other
expenses were :-
Travel by sea
Mumbai -
Clothes
College fees
Examination fees
Books
Travel
Savarkar could
only come to
5.4 The British
Raj
5.4.1 Economic
Exploitation of
Greatest of the
Moderate leaders was Dadabhai Naoroji ( 1825-1917). Dadabhai means the eldest
son in a family. His invaluable works was Poverty and Un-British Rule in
India published in 1901. He proved meticulously that the British were
draining away £30 to £40 million per year from
Consider that
such drain lasted for 150 years and you can imagine the magnitude of the loot
£2,000 to £2,500 million pounds a sum unprecedented in the history of mankind.
Without
Why don’t we
teach these facts to our children ?
5.4.2 Barbarity
of British sentences
(1) In our
history books we simply read that in 1879 Vasudev Balvant Phadake was sentenced
to transportation for life to
(3,200 km)
Compare that to
the distance from
(2) We also read
that in 1908 Lokamanya Tilak was sent to transportation for 7 years to
Moreover, the
life expectancy in Britain during the decade 1901-1910 for men was 48 1/2 years
( OHE Compendium of Health Statics, Office of Health Economics, 12 Whitehall,
London SW1 ). In 1908 Tilak was 52 years old.
THUS, in the
final days of his life, Tilak was sent to transportation for 7 years to a place
3,000 miles away!!
Why don’t we
teach history in this manner ?
The forerunners
in the freedom struggle had borne such harsh, barbaric punishments. That made
prison conditions far far more relaxed
for Gandhi and Nehru. They were given all the comforts of home life.
But, they never remembered the fortitudes of their forefathers! We should.
5.5 The Sikhs
5.5.1 Guru
Nanak’s birthday
This was
celebrated by Vishwa Hindu Parishad ( UK ) Wembley branch on 22 November 1998.
Among the leaflets distributed at the time, was an article by Madan M Mathrani,
He says :--
Sikh Gurus were
reformers and champions of Hinduism.
The question of
whether Sikhism is a separate religion or a part of Hinduism is quite dominant
in our minds these days. The subject is also frequently addressed by the
American news media. Unfortunately, they invariably refer to Sikhism as a
separate religion through lack of information.
[ Dear oh dear.
It is not lack of information, it is deliberate attempt by the white men to divide
the Hindu society. What prevents us from saying - Catholics & Christians ?
or Arabs and Muslims ? ]
.............
Unfortunately, none of them, including Guru Nanak and Mahatma Gandhi, had any
success with the Muslims. Except for a handful of Muslims, all their followers
were Hindus. The Muslims simply perceive this respect for other religion as a
sign of Hindu weakness to exploit
[ This is true in
case of Gandhi, but not Nanak. It is sheer fantasy of historians to suggest
that Nanak and his successive leaders were trying to reconcile Hindus and
Muslims. In 1930 Babarao Savarkar, elder brother of Veer Savarkar wrote an
excellent biography of Banda Bairagi, who succeeded Guru Govind Singh. Babarao
makes some important remarks
From the defeat
of Prithviraj Chouhan by Muhammad Ghori in 1192 to the barbaric attack by Babar
in 1526 , second battle of Panipat, Hindus had known nothing but defeats,
insults and humiliations at the hands of foreign Muslims. To say IN THOSE DAYS
that Hindus and Muslims are equal was an act of tremendous courage on the part
of Guru Nanak ( 1469 to 1539 ). Nanak has utterly condemned atrocities of
Babar, whereas in 1920 Gandhi adored the barbarous Moplas of Malbar as ‘ my
brave god fearing Muslim brothers ‘ ]
Mathrani’s
article provides good reading.
Guru Govind Singh
always called Khalsa a Panth ( sect ) not a Dharma ( religion )
* 5.5.2 From Guru
Nanak to Guru Govind Singh
Dr Arvind
Godbole, one of the physicians of Veer Savarkar has written a book in Marathi
entitled From Guru Nanak to Guru Govind Singh, in 1986. Here are some important
pieces of information from his book
p 8 - Muslim
Sultans who invaded north
du Generals and Hindu soldiers in their armies. Mahmud of
Gazni had a Hindu General by name Tilak in his army. ( shocking, but true )
p 29 Guru Nanak
has condemned Babur as Yama. He shows concern and distress at the following
imposition of
Muslim Law
Kazis have become
the judges
Hindus cannot
recite Brahmanas, Vedas and Puranas
Kshatriyas (
Hindu warriors ) have abandoned their moral duties and foreign language is
imposed on them.
Hindus are being
called Miyas, their language is being destroyed.
Hindus worship at
home, but outside they are forced to dress like Muslims
Taxes are imposed
on Hindu temples
p 34 All Sikh
Gurus after Nanak used to call themselves as Nanak ( just as we have
Vashishthas or Vishvamitras in old scriptures )
Nanak did not
chose his son Shreechanda to s
Oucceed him as he had become a Sanyasi. He chose Angad - a
married man. Thus emphasising that Sikh Gurus had not abandoned their social
duties.
Guru Nanak
courted great risk by preaching to Hindu Pandits as well as Muslim Kazis. He
faced death for that act..
P 38 Gurugranth
begins with the word
p 58 Guru Angad
modified Landa script prevalent at that time, borrowed some symbols from
Devanagri and gave rise to the Gurumukhi script. This prevented the aggression
of Arabic and Persian. In Sindh, Hindus had adopted Arabic script and even
Hindu scriptures had to be read like Muslim books - i.e from left to right
p 64 - Guru
Amardas appointed women preachers. They used to be called PIRAHIS
Amardas also started the tradition of annual
assemblies on three occasions, namely
Vaishakhi ( normally 13 or 14 April ), first day of the month
Kof Magh and Divali.
p 73 - right
until 1900 Brahmin priests used to officiate ceremonies at births, marriages
and deaths of Sikhs.
(Historians and
Historiographiers of the Sikhs by Barrier N J page 175 )
p 83 – Akbar’s
barbarities
Husein Khan, Subhedar
of Lahore, had commanded that every Hindu must put a stitch on his shoulder on
cloth ( like star of David on the Jews ) with the intention that Hindus should
be recognisable and that no Muslim should greet a Hindu.
During the battle
of Kangra Akbar killed many cows, in the presence of Birbal, and the blood of
cows was splashed over many Hindu
temples.
p 93 - Granth
Saheb has been translated into English by one Manmohansingh. Wherever the word
Hari or Ram appears, it has been translated as God or Lord
p 95 Guru Nanak
does use the word Hindusthan to describe our land but the word
p 99 - Guru
Arjundev’s martyrdom at the hands of Jahangir is well known. One needs to
remember that five disciples of Arjundev were also tortured to death at the
same time.
(30 May 1606)
p 101 - Guru
Hargovind started the tradition of communal prayers
p 103 - In 1634
Maratha saint Ramdas met Guru Hargovind ( four years before the birth of
Shivaji )
p 104 - Shahjahan
dumped rubbish and filth in the Bavadi ( deep well )- dug by Guru Arjundev and
his langar ( place of eating in Gurudwara ) was converted into a mosque
p 110 - Hargovind
won some battles with Mughals. Though he did not benefit materially, it showed
that with right leadership, Mughals could be defeated.
Meat eating
became acceptable o Sikhs. However all the food served in a Langar is
vegetarian.
p 127 - When
Kashmiri Brahmins were in trouble with Aurangzeb they went to Guru Tegbahadur.
They did not go to any Shia or Suphi man.
p 130 - After
torturing to death Bhai Matidas, Satidas and Dayaldas, Guru Tegbahadur was
beheaded in Chandani Chowk of
p 135 - Sikh
Gurus were Khatris. From the days of Guru Hargovind, Jats were attracted to
Sikhism in large numbers. Rajput kings of surrounding mountains had fights with
Sikh Gurus. Moreover Rajputs consider Jats as inferior to them.
p 136 - Guru
Govindsingh’s construction of JAPU is based on Vishnusahasranam
( 1000 names of
Lord Vishnu )
p 138 - Guru
Govindsingh sent five of his disciples to
p 142 - On the
orders of Aurangzeb the Gurudwara at Sarhind was converted into a Mosque.
p 148 - Formation
of Khalsa by Guru Govind Singh - The five daring men who were prepared for
martyrdom were Hindus. Dayaram, Mokhamchand, Sahibchand, and Himmat. These were
called Panchapyare.
The word Khalsa
is found in Kabir’s verses and in the orders of the sixth and ninth guru.
Govind Singh started to use the word for the assembly ( sangat ) of who have
been given the diksha ( baptism)
The procedure
used was also not new. On Abu mountain Brahmins used to give diksha in a
similar fashion to Bhils and make them Rajputs.
The suffixes Sing
( after a man’s name ) and Kaur ( after a woman’s name ) were not new. They
were prevalent among Rajputs
p 152 -
Govindsingh bluntly asked the Rajput kings of surrounding mountains - You call
yourselves Rajputs. Have you no shame that Muslims abduct your women to their
zenana and convert your temples into mosques. But of no avail. The Rajputs
sided with Mughals
p158 - During
skirmishes of Anandpur one Sikh was captured by Mughals and converted to Islam.
When he escaped and returned, Govindsingh distributed PRASAD and said - A Sikh
forcibly converted to Islam remains a Sikh
p 163 - After the
death of Aurangzeb, there was a war of succession. Govindsingh sided with
Muazzam , Azam was killed. Muazzam assumed the title - Bahadurshah. Govindsingh
wanted the Subedhar of Sarhind to be punished for bricking alive two of his
young sons - Joravarsimgh (age 8) and Fatehsingh (age 5). Bahadurshah ducked
the issue.
p 166 - Like a
gullible Hindu Govindsingh allowed himself to be alone with and was stabbed by
a Pathan named Gulkhan. He was immediately killed by Sikhs. Bahadurshah sent
condolences to the family of Gulkhan.
p 169 - For
centuries Muslims have always dishonoured Hindu women. But Guru Govindsingh
forbade his followers to treat Muslim women in a similar manner even out of
revenge. ( So, we Hindus lose all the time. We lose when we are weak because
our enemies will commit the most barbarous attacks on us. We lose when we win
battles because of our high moral ground. TIME HAS COME TO SAY - ENOUGH IS
ENOUGH )
p 171 - Guru
Govindsingh’s contribution.
He created Sikhs
into a fighting force for the protection of Hindu Dharma. Unfortunately most of
his energy was wasted by the Rajput Kings of surrounding mountains.
Like millions of
Hindus he was not a politician. He did not how to take advantage of a situation.
Bahadurshah would have never punished the Subedhar of Sarhind for his crimes.
He ensured that Govindsingh remained in the south and not go to
p 176 - Sikh
Gurus always emphasised the importance of physical labour. As a result we never
see a Sikh beggar.
p 177 - Langar -
or preparation and distribution of free food to the needy in a Gurudwara is an
excellent tradition. Sikhs consider a great honour to serve in a Langar. Eating
meals together creates a sen
ãse of equality among all. ( In the 1920s and 30s Veer
Savarkar propagated eating meals together in public for the same purpose)
Dr Godbole
rightly says, Ò This is not just the history of the Sikhs, it is our history
tooÓ
* 5.5.3 The 300th anniversary of founding of the Khalsa (
13 April 1999 )
As usual, the
British played their mischief
BBC said on Radio
and on TV that Guru Govind Singh founded the Khalsa Nation. This is NOT
ignorance. It is deliberate
On 14th April
1999 Peter Pophalm reported from
* 5.5.4 Adigranth
Encyclopaedia
Britannica tells us :-
The first version
of the book was compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru Arjun at
SO, there are no
verses from Koran. Where is the mix of Hinduism and Islam ??
5.6 All Hindu
heroes were terrorists - says a Hindu!!
To be honest with
you Hindus are their worst enemies. I recently read a book entitled Five Stormy
Years - describing life of Veer Savarkar from
1906 to 1911. The
author says, " If we study carefully Ram Krishna .....down to Rana Pratap
and Shivaji were all terrorists!!! " His name? Mr Shrivastava, M.A, LL
B.And he is a friend of Gopal Godse. The book is in English and will be
referred to by many researchers. With friends like these who needs the enemies
?
5.7 Topics for
further research
5.7.1 Gandhi's
Assassination
Gandhi's
assassination will always be used against us by our enemies. Time has come to
fight back. We need the following information :-
(1) When was the
Bombay Public Security Measures Act 1947 passed ?
( date and month
)
(2) Is it
possible to get a paper cutting ?
(3) What were the
reasons given, for passing this legislation ?
(4) When did the
Supreme Court of India came into being ?
(5) When did they
declare Bombay Public Security Measures Act, illegal?
(6) Who were the
judges ?
(7) Is it
possible to get a copy of their verdict ?
(8) Who
questioned the legality of Bombay Public Security Measures Act?
Nathuram Godse
and others were tried under Bombay Public Security Measures Act 1947. But that
act itself was declared illegal!!
(9) Government of
Is it possible to
get a paper cutting of that day?
Under what law
did the government ban the publication?
(10 ) Gopal
Godse, published Nathuram's testimony in 1977. How was this possible ?
Did the Indian
Government withdraw the ban on publication ? Did they withdraw the relevant
legislation ? If so, when ?
(11) Gopal Godse,
Vishnupant Karkare and Madanlal Pahwa were sentenced to transportation for life.
In practice they were not transported anywhere. Therefore, under the provisions
of Indian Penal Code, section 55 and Indian Criminal Procedures Code, section
402, an order should have been issued to transform the sentence to a life
sentence of 14 years.
Can I have
provisions of these two codes ?
Once I have above
information I will produce my booklet on this episode
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
On 26 November
1963 J F Kennedy was shot dead, in
On 4 April 1968
American Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King was shot dead in
On June 5 1968,
Robert Kennedy was shot dead in
These three acts
are described by British American and European mass media as assassinations,
even though they were carried out by right wing fanatics.
So, why is
Gandhi's killing always described as a MURDER ?
5.7.2 Savarkar in
Quite a lot is
still unknown about Savarkar’s work in
The case of Mr V
D Savarkar in 1909
Dear Sir,
Mr Vinayak
Damodar SAVARKAR, popularly known as Veer Savarkar, was a great Indian freedom
fighter. He registered with your society on 26 June 1906. He passed his
examination for the Bar and observed the usual formalities. He should have been
called to the Bar on 5 May 1909, but this did not happen because for his
political activities. On 13 May 1909 benchers of
Eventually there
was a trial. Savarkar was cross-examined by some of the best barristers. On 14 July 1909 the benchers gave their
verdict ‘None of the charges against
Savarkar was proven. However, there is still suspicion about him. Therefore he
will not be called to the bar as yet.’
Savarkar
eventually withdrew from
This is an
important episode in the History of Indian Freedom Struggle. Correspondence
between
The documents
that I wish to see are :-
* Admission documents
of Savarkar
* Correspondence
between
missing from India Office Library &
Records )
* Minutes of any
internal meetings / Internal memos at
* References
which Savarkar obtained from two Barristers.
* The charges
against Savarkar.
* Evidence for
prosecution.
* Proceedings of
the trial
* Final verdict.
* Savarkar’s
letter of resignation
Yours faithfully
V
After waiting for
three months Godbole rang the society. He talked to Mr Long, Assistant
Librarian. He informed that at that time the papers were dislocated due to
builder’s work. Mr Godbole will try to contact him again.
6.Behaviour of
Christians and Muslims today
6.1 Sexual abuse
of children by Christian Priests
Guardian of 10
March 1999 carried a latter by Margaret
Kennedy of Christian Survivors of Sexual Abuse. She said :-
If you have been
abused don’t tell a priest, call the police.
We are not
surprised by the BBC findings concerning dioceses flouting their 1994 guidelines
on child sexual abuse. (Catholic Church attacked over child abuse by priests,
March 9). Since 1994 every diocese has appointed a priest (called a delegate )
to look at any allegation of clergy abuse. The decision to have a priest may be
a deliberate attempt to intimidate victims. No victim can contemplate reporting
their abuse to a priest who may be a friend or colleague of the alleged abuser.
Victims have often been given wrong advice by delegates, such as Your name will get into all the papers
or The alleged abuse is too old, the
police won’t investigate, aimed, we think, at diverting the victim from
reporting to the police. This, together with very intrusive, intimate
questioning, has caused some victims to clam up in fear and shame.
Thus the very basis
of the Church’s guidelines are fundamentally flawed. We ask that each diocese
appoints a lay, fully trained child protection officer; not a priest, to deal
with allegations. Bishops who have not followed the 1994 guidelines cannot be
disciplined. There is no accountability. If these were head teachers or heads
of children’s homes they would be sacked. We ask for a full enquiry by the
Church into these allegations and that action is taken against bishops flouting
the guidelines.
We Advise anyone
who has been abused by clergy to go to police or social services as we have no
confidence in the guidelines or Church handling of allegations.
6.2 ISLAM
6.2.1 Independent
of 5 November 1998 published a letter from Peter Jolly of
Islam is about
submission. One of the converts interviewed called for an updating of the
cutting off of hands for theft, but she has
missed the point about submission. The Koran requires this
punishment and is therefore not open to updating by a true Muslim.
The Christian
believes that God is so pure and people so impure that no amount of submission
and obedience is enough. God is loving and He sent His Son, Jesus, to take the
punishment for our wrong in our place.
So the difference
is that Islam is about what people do and Christianity is about what Jesus has already done. Islam gives a
framework for people wanting to justify themselves. Christianity provides a way
for those who admit they cannot .
6.2.2 Iranian adulterer cheats death
On 23 November
1998 TIMES published a news item by French press agency in Teheran.
An Iranian man
condemned to death by stoning for committing adultery was a
cquitted because he managed to free himself as the sentence
was being carried out, a newspaper reported yesterday.
Khosrow Ebrahimi,
from Lahijan in northern
Islamic law prescribes
execution by stoning for adulterers, but the condemned is acquitted if he or
she manages to survive the hail of stones.
The law insists
that stones must be neither so small as to be ineffective, nor large enough to
knock out the condemned person in a single blow. ( i.e the person must suffer
slow , lingering death ) A condemned man is buried to waist and a woman to her
armpits ( so, a man has got better chance of escape )
Muhammad Husein
Abedi, the prosecuting judge, told Hamshahri that Ebrahimi had managed to
extricate himself from the ground Ô using the strength of his bodyÕ and was
acquitted in accordance with the law. ( so, a physically strong man gets away
with it, a weak man would have died.)
Notes :-
Even after more
than 20 years of the rise to power of Ayatollah Khomeini in
7. We Hindus are
treated badly : do we deserve better ?
During the months
of July, August and September 1999, there was utter chaos on the London
Underground. The Circle Line was completely shut and a section of the Northern
Line was shut at the same time. It was the height of summer.
On 7 July 1999
Richard Allen, Mark Reynolds and Martin Delgado reported for the Evening
Standard. Tube nightmare on the Front Line
It can’t be as bad
as this in Latvia....but at least it’s better than in India
[How did they
reach the conclusion ? Passengers told them. ] Juila Beven, a junior school
teacher with 24 ten year olds in her charge for a day trip to the city, was
among the thousands caught up in the
crush. .... As she tried to keep an eye on all the children in busy
Anant Pai, 26, a
businessman from
Why could he not
just shut up? Why could he not know how his remarks will be reported? The London
Underground service was a disgrace. Mr Godbole should know, he works for them
and he used to sit next the Public Relations Department.
8. Obituaries
* We deeply
regret to announce the death of our friend Shree Mukund Sonapatki. He was
murdered at his home in Talegav,
* Sir Hugh
Casson, the famous Architect died on 16 August 1999. He was President of the
Royal Academy of Arts from 1976 to 1984. In 1980, while he was still the
President of the
9 Acknowledgement
We are grateful
to the following for their help :-
* For posting a parcel of our newsletters to
Mumbai
Mr Gupte of
Wembley of Middx
* For posting
copies of our newsletters in
Dr Ashwini
Kshirsagar of
* For making
copies of our newsletters and distributing them to friends
Dina Nath Behl of
* For making
copies of our newsletters and sending them to friends in Pune and
An anonymous
friend from Pune
* For donating
for publication of Mr Godbole’s book on Rationalism of Veer Savarkar ( in
Marathi )
Dr Kotegavkar of
* For studying
and making suggestions of improvement in our writing
Shree
Ramkrishnayya of
* For
scrutinising Godbole’s book on Rationalism of Veer Savarkar
Dr Agarkar, of
Kalyan,
* For giving
publicity to our Special London Tour
Editors of Sangh
Sandesh and Sangh Mail
* For carrying to
Anil Pota, of
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