Attack on minorities is akin to act of terrorism: Karnataka HC judge

Former judge of Karnataka High Court, MF Saldanha, thinks that attacks on minority institutions should be treated as acts of terror and not as common crime.

During his interaction with journalists in his hometown, Mangalore, on Tuesday, he said attacks on minority institutions were “nothing but a manifestation of terrorism. There are many forms of terrorism and attack on minorities is definitely one of them.”

Justice Saldanha, who recently returned to the country after visiting the US and Europe, said the presidents of France and the US and the British prime minister have expressed dismay over the attacks on minority institutions in Karnataka.

He said that after interacting with them, he feels that such attacks deserve more attention of the state law and order machinery.

“The aftermath of the attacks was more horrendous than the attacks. This is where the distorted role of state comes into picture. This picture is what we are all afraid of and loathe. Even today, three years after the church attacks in the state, the victims are being further victimised by the government while the wily attackers have been roaming free with the patronage of the government,” the former high court judge said.

He added that the law should have zero tolerance towards such “internal acts of terrorism”. He has written a book on church attacks, which will be translated in Kannada and released in Mysore on November 27.

Sick of ‘ill’ netas
Justice Saldanha then trained his guns on the politicians who feign illness when they are sent to jail. He said the judicial fraternity should be prudent while dealing with such cases.

“The politicians come up with all sorts of illness to escape jail term but the judicial officers should be careful enough not to fall for their false-illness acts. The medical professionals should also stop certifying the malingering acts of politicians,” he said.

Also, the former judge was critical of the fact that the politicians’ pleas for bail and anticipatory bail were getting priority in the courts at the cost of common man's pleas. He said he had been told that about 1,700 bail applications of those who are behind bars for false complaints or petty crimes were held up owing to the priority that the politicians' bail pleas were getting.

“This is a total misuse of power and deprivation of justice to the poor people,” he said.