Crisis of Leadership in The Bar

By: Parmanand Pandey

Apart from being a festive season, it is also a season of elections in different Bar Associations of Delhi. The elections of Tis Hazari Bar Association, which is known as Delhi Bar Association will be held in the last week of October and that will be preceded by a week for the elections of Delhi High Court Bar Association. Immediately after DBA’s elections Rohini Bar Association’s elections are to be held. In the first week of December elections for Delhi Bar Council will take place for which the campaigning has reached feverish pitch.

Elections are like oxygen for any democratic organisation. They make an organisation lively, the flurry activities of the sitting office bearers and other contestants become conspicuous. For months together members are flooded with phone calls SMS’s and emails. Thanks to the technological revolution in the field of communication, letters have almost been done away with. SMS and sending of Emails have been outsourced. It is a completely disembodied affair. Many times senders do not know what message has been sent by them and to whom. Even person to person contact has been considerably reduced. It has albeit been replaced by the lavish dinner parties. There are many advocates who are enjoying this gala affair by attending these parties without any qualms for loyalty or support they extend to the candidates. During the day time, they will remain with one candidate but in the evening they will run for another candidate, depending on who is going to offer them good liquor and delicious food.

The tempo of elections reached the crescendo in the last week of pooling. Ultimately, the winner will not be a good candidate but who has the capacity to splurge. Exceptions are always there but there number is few and far between. But how such big resources are managed? Who is behind the funding? And if a candidate spends from his/her own pocket, what does he/she ultimately achieve by the elections? This is an enigma shrouded in the mystery.

Some say that winners make it a platform to develop intimacy with judges and convert it into the mutual benefits. Some say, it is used as leverage for climbing the political ambitions. Barring a few it is seen most of the candidates have hardly anything to do with the profession. They are found to be doing something like property dealing, running NGO’s other businesses, totally unrelated to the profession. The tag of ‘Advocate’ is used a shield to have some respectability in the society.

That is why; they (such advocates) have converted this profession into business. How to improve the skill of lawyering or how some facilities could be arranged to newcomers in the profession to hone their capacity or what are the new trends/winds blowing in the profession- theses things have no consideration in the elections of the Bars. How to protect the dignity of profession and further improve its prestige in the society do not carry any weight. They (candidates) are unconcerned about the tantrums of the judges. Code of conduct is ridiculed and derided day in and day out, the esteem of the profession is sliding in the society and its sheen or the lustre is fading -but they have no concern. The lofty profession, which once it was, is now being led by those who have no stakes. The irony is that law courses and curricula are being set or decided by those whose knowledge in the subject is next to nil.

Nobody can hope for any improvement unless serious, conscientious, ethically conscious and learned professionals come forward to take the lead.

Media Must Go For Self - Introspection

By Parmanand Pandey

Supercilious and self-righteous conscience keepers of media persons were up in arms when they learnt that the West Bengal police have arrested a top ranking Maoist leader from Lalgarh disguising as journalists. The policemen posed themselves as the correspondents of a foreign newspaper. They took the help of a local journalist to reach the Maoist leader.

The logic of media persons is that every profession has to observe certain codes of conduct which should not be encroached upon by other professionals for vested interests because that erodes the credibility of the profession. They say that the policemen have arrested the Maoist leader because the Media has credibility and it also shows that the police or for that matter the system of the state, has completely failed to do what it is expected to do. This puts a big question mark on the efficacy and the efficiency of the police and the state. This also shows that the police are still living in the era of feudalism and it has not evolved any sophistication in dealing with the new types of crimes. There can no two opinions that the system must grow to deal with and address to the problems of the people with minimum possible intrusion.

However, the question is whether media is justified in going overboard or it should do self-introspection on such occasions. Is it doing its work in a manner that is becoming of it or it is simply indulging into sanctimonious pontificating? No doubt sometimes grievances of media are genuine but many times it is seen that creates unnecessary hullabaloo. It has often been seen that media cries wolf to create the protective shield around it, so that nobody could think of even questioning its modus operendi and modus vivendi.

Despite proverbially short memories people might not have forgotten the employment of prostitutes for conducting sting operation by Tehlaka. Media had unabashedly justified the use of sluts and floozies for, what it considers a right cause. So, what if the policemen disguised themselves as journalists to catch hold of a dreaded dacoit or a naxalite leader who is responsible for death of so many and destruction of properties? Will any body mind if the police arrest terrorists who were planning to blow up a bus, train or plane? In fact, the police would be patted by every section of society for its efficient handling.

After all, journalists have been used as spies by various secret agencies in the world. If journalists themselves are prepared to work as agents for politicians and foreign investigating agencies, then heaven would not fall if policemen did a commendable job by arresting a person, who was wanted by the police for the quite long time and was giving the slips by terrorising the local people.

Not long ago, there was story in the Times of India when journalists drove on a motorcycle in restricted areas in the guise of policemen just to prove that the security was not in place even in the VIP localities.

It is very strange that the media cries hoarse and throws up the question of integrity and reliability but it has never bothered to see that it has become the haven of all sorts of pimps, bootlickers, bootleggers and sycophants. The general perception about journalists has gone down to the lowest ebb. It is said that journalists are saleable and anything can be published or broadcast by paying money to them.

Moreover, media have hardly had any concern for the social issues and it can be vouchsafed by reading the newspapers and watching the TV channels. Smugglers, black marketers, brick kiln owners, dishonest builders and businessmen have taken it as any other business and launched newspapers and channels. Journalists are ready to work for them on hire but surprisingly they become didactic and deliver homilies when it comes to telling others- what to do and not to do. Many thieves, pickpockets, unscrupulous suspects and criminals have got emblazoned ‘press’ on their vehicles and they masquerade as journalists among authorities for earning money by touting. This all is done in day-light but entire journalist community remains blind to it. How sad it is! In fact, media have no moral right to take umbrage on West Bengal police donning the garb of journalists to arrest an ideological rogue. If it wants to regain its image and credibility, it has to go for its own catharsis and cleansing. Will the employee journalists behaving like high priests of media wake up to reform themselves?