for more responsible judiciary

text of the letter sent to the Indian Express:

I refer to the report in your columns (on the 9th instant) about a case against Mr N R Narayana Murthy, over the national anthem issue, being admitted in a Mysore court.

Now, very obviously, what Mr Murthy intended was to save the foreigners present the 'embarrassment' of having to remain mute listeners, even as the majority joined in, if the national anthem was sung. As compared to that, if just the tune is played, generally everyone stands to attention silently, and that was what Mr Murthy preferred. Nobody can fault him for that. What he didn't quite bargain for that specific day, however, was Sri Abdul Kalam taking off on the song, and the countrymen joining in. Whatever, no problems there either! The problem arose only when a pesky reporter thrust a mike in Mr Murthy's face and got him to blurt out a response with the word 'embarrassed' slightly juxtaposed, and thereafter, went to town over it - plainly a case of headline-seeking, irresponsible journalism.

The response of the status quoist politicians like Mr H N Nanje Gowda, who have over the years been unseated from the public mind by progressive leaders like Mr Murthy, in understandable, though pathetic. What is more shocking, however, is the way the courts have been admitting such frivolous cases, even as they are themselves seen as guilty of delaying justice ( and thereby denying it) against the huge pile of cases they already have on hand.