This is just a quick mail to note that today was Day 4 of the 377 case hearings
in the Supreme Court and quite a lot of time, around four hours, was given to
the case. The counsel for the Delhi Commission on Child Welfare continued to
speak right through, and the Bench posed a lot of questions which indicated
that they are looking at this issue in-depth and from all points.
Because of the length of time, the report will take a bit longer to come. For
all those who have been appreciative of these reports, thanks, but really my
role in them is quite limited. The basic work is done by our excellent sources
in court, and now that we are getting more and more into the matter, we will
just be posting the basic report with perhaps a few clarifications where
needed. It may take more time to come today, but as soon as I get it I will
post it on.
One word though about comments and discussions. Its fine to have these, and it
is fine to post the reports further, but please note that any discussion has to
be polite all around and, in particular, must avoid making comments that might
seem disresepectful about the Judiciary. Ashok has also made this point well on
lgbt-india, and you will note that the reports are careful about things like
referring to them as the Bench, and not in their individual capacity.
We are not making this point with any desire to stifle debate and views, but
that there are realities of reporting and discussing the Judiciary that must be
kept in mind. We should also keep in mind that some of our opponents are very
probably on these lists and will be only to happy to take comments out of
context and use them against us, if they can. So please continue to read and
discuss and use these reports, but please be responsible with what you are
saying,
Vikram
