SC cannot teach the people to respect Mahatma

The Supreme Court said on Monday it doesn’t have powers to teach people to show respect to Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation.

The court stated this when a lawyer, Ravikant, sought action against Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, a Dalit leader, for allegedly describing the Mahatma as natakbaz.

When Ravikant wanted a notice to be issued to the Bahujan Samaj Party chief, besides guidelines for showing respect to national leaders, a bench headed by chief justice KG Balakrishnan observed that it was not within the court’s scope. But the court hastened to add that it agreed with what he said. The bench advised him to go to an “appropriate forum”.

Ravikant argued that Mayawati’s remarks against the Mahatma amounted to violation of “fundamental duty”.

She had made the derogatory references to give an impression that Gandhi was not sincere in his efforts for the uplift of Dalits, he added.

Even Mayawati’s mentor, the late Kanshi Ram, had made similar references and BSP workers had vandalised Rajghat, the samadhi of the Mahatma, some years back, he said.