Each time Anna Hazare sat for a fasting Satyagraha to bring pressure on the Central Government to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, as against the proposed effete Government Lokpal Bill, the response from the public was tremendous. And each time it was the government which was made to eat the humble pie. After a prolonged battle of wits, chicanery and foul play against Team Anna, the government front collapsed like ninepins with lot of muck on the face of the Team government — Manish Tewari who later apologized to Anna and even quit the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice constituted to veto the Bill; P. Chidambaram the most scheming self - centered Home Minister; Kapil Sibal with a smirk of contempt always playing on his face whenever he spoke on the Anna's fast and his Bill and that expert in rigmarole Salman Khurshid the Law Minister who took over from Veerappa Moily.

Manish Tiwari who rescued himself from the Parliamentary Standing Committee as a member, as if to atone for the sin of accusing Anna of corruption, seems to continue in that position as the Congress party is yet to decide on the matter. A typical case of the manner in which the Congressmen generally and the party behave.

Now a very insidious campaign is launched by the government saying that Anna's victory in fact was the victory of the media — the Press and TV. Therefore, how to curb the Press and TV is the new headache for the government. If total curb is not possible, for it may then tantamount to censor as during the 1975 Emergency dark days, at least the issue of curtailing the exaggeration by the Press and TV must be considered, as being reasonable restrictions [in the interest of law and order, security etc.]

It is reported that this issue figured in last Tuesday's meeting of the Union Cabinet. Though some felt that the Anna agitation was hyped and indeed fueled by the Press and more aggressively by the 24 x 7 TV channels, it was the Urban Development Minister Kamalnath who openly expressed his opinion and demanded some restrictions on media reports on such issues. And who is this Kamalnath? The Minister who refused to give permission to CBI, a statutory requirement, to prosecute an Additional Secretary level official of the National Highway Authority of India. When this Secretary's house was raided by the CBI, huge amounts of unaccounted money was found. The corrupt official apparently continued with his venal conduct, probably keeping his Minister Kamalnath happy. Incidentally, Kamalnath is said to be known as "percentage Kamalnath" or "15% Kamalnath" in the Ministry and among the contractors, according to Radia Tape. Therefore, it is but understandable that he should be overly interested in curbing the freedom of the Press and TV.

Already the media warriors are up against the UPA Government's move to constitute the Committee as discussed in the Cabinet meeting. Rajiv Gandhi had made a futile attempt in 1988 to bring a Defamation Bill of 1988, as if the present provision in IPC is not enough, in order to cover up the Bofors scam. With this experience, the UPA should never have even discussed the issue at the Cabinet meeting. But when you have a majority of Ministers with venal mindset, it is inevitable.

I think, the Congress having tampered with all our Constitutional and other administrative institutions, making them subservient to the Congress party over the years, thinks it can do the same to the Fourth Estate. How myopic this Congress could be considering that even in 1975 Emergency days it could not succeed with all the newspapers, though there were some who chose slavishly to crawl when asked only to bend — L. K. Advani's words.

Fortunately for this ancient land of ours, at this critical moment, we got an extraordinary Chief Justice of Supreme Court in S. H. Kapadia. I can't imagine what would have happened to this country if S.H. Kapadia had not come to be the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. For sure CWG, 2G spectrum, black money in foreign banks and many other cases would have died a natural (or is it unnatural?) death at the hands of the CBI which is under the control of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

One shudders to think what the Supreme Court did during 1975 Emergency. Perish the thought. According to reports the Supreme Court had, later, apologized for its judgments during Emergency.

Now times have changed. Supreme Court may not forget the past and may not also forget to learn from the past, unlike the Congress party. Therefore, no matter what the Congress - led UPA Government may do to saddle and curtail the Constitutional freedom of the media, the Supreme Court and its Chief Justice S. H. Kapadia may be depended upon for securing to the media its rightful place in a democratic polity.

Jai Hind