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Journalism of Courage
Aligarh Muslim University is an institution of international repute and its students go out with character.
Homosexuality is not good for them and so such act could not be allowed on campus so said the vice chancellor of AMU,justifying his decision to fire a professor,S.R. Siras.
The Indian LGBT communitys legal victory in the Delhi high court was a decisive and unambiguous one as the court noted,moral indignation,howsoever strong,is not a valid basis for overriding individuals fundamental rights of dignity and privacy. In our scheme of things,constitutional morality must outweigh the argument of public morality,even if it be the majoritarian view. So whatever the vice chancellors private opinion,he cannot take an action that dismisses Sirass right to love whom he loves,in the sheltered space of his own home. There might be many in Sirass context who share that sense of recoil and moral panic,which possibly explains why the professor who was on the verge of retirement has not been speaking for himself. His cause has been championed largely by others. In the US,the Lawrence vs Texas case that finally struck down the law banning sodomy hinged on the right to privacy and the extent to which government could regulate private lives. In India,the LGBT community has been galvanised into a politically conscious lobby,but homophobia is as virulent as ever. Such cases of persecution must be used as testing grounds and platforms of change. The AMU elders must realise that prejudice comes with a heavy price.
