Gujarat riots

THE Supreme Court verdict in the Gulberg Society case has shattered the common man’s faith in the judiciary (“A verdict and three arrests”, July 29). It has not only turned the complainant into the accused but also accused the petitioners, Zakia Jafri and Teesta Setalvad, of fabricating the entire case.

This being a serious charge, one would have expected counsel representing the petitioners in the court to have been grilled over the issue during the proceedings. However, nothing of the kind seems to have happened, and the Gujarat Police arrested Setalvad within a day of the judgment. This sends a chilling message to civil society about the fate awaiting those “audacious” enough to question the integrity of government functionaries over any human rights violation.