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Journalism of Courage
Till Thursday,every news channel in India was carrying a quote by Kanimozhi that said,I dont expect preferential treatment because Im a woman. She is chargesheeted by the CBI for her alleged role in the 2G spectrum case,where many others implicated are already languishing in jail. By Friday,Kanimozhis lawyer,Ram Jethmalani,had appealed at the Victorian sense of chivalry in court,that allows differential treatment for women. Who can blame Kanimozhi for trying a last ditch effort to stay out of Tihar Jail? Even though it is in complete contradiction to the very politically correct stand shes fought for while in office so far: empowerment of women. Its an extremely weak Get Out Of Jail Free card,but then desperate situations call for desperate measures.
History is replete with examples of damsels in distress appealing to a sense of chivalry in men,to be let off the hook. And it usually works. In 1535,when Rani Karnavati realised she couldnt defend Chittor against an invasion by the Sultan of Gujarat,she sent a rakhi to Humayun,appealing for his help. Touched,Humayun rushed off to help her,but didnt reach in time: the Rani had already immolated herself to avoid dishonour. Society tends to endorse this view. Accepted protocol in marine disasters is women and children first,when the lives of a group of people are at stake. But nowhere does gender come to the rescue of women more than in the US death penalty system. In all of 20th century,just 500-odd women were executed,while there were over 19,000 confirmed executions of men in the same time span in the US.
Will a judge turn into a gallant knight to rescue a princess trapped,possibly,by her evil cousins and her own serious misdemeanours? I think not. The times are changing and it is 2011.
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