Little did I know that in Modi’s India, pursuing justice is a criminal offence: Shweta Sanjiv Bhatt

“Little did I know that in Modi’s India, pursuing justice is a criminal offence,” said Shweta Sanjiv Bhatt, wife of jailed whistleblower Sanjiv Bhatt. She made this statement a day after the Supreme Court imposed a fine of ₹3 lakh on Sanjiv Bhatt for repeatedly filing petitions with the top court.

Shweta said she never imagined that there would be a limit to how many times one can seek justice through legal channels.

In a strongly worded message shared on social media, Shweta expressed her concerns, stating that for the past five years, every petition they filed seemed to languish in the registry for years without any action, only to be ultimately dismissed by the court without even being heard.

Read the full text of Shweta Sanjiv Bhatt’s statement here:

This is Shweta Sanjiv Bhatt,

In these last 5 years, I’ve often been asked if I still have any faith in the Judiciary ….. while the subversion witnessed has been shocking and saddening, I held on to a sliver of hope that there must still exist a handful few, who would bravely and honestly dispatch justice.

However, today I stand questioning my misplaced belief.

The Supreme Court yesterday slapped a 3 Lakh rupee fine on us for approaching the court, for what they called, “Many” times.

Little did I know that in Modi’s India, pursuing justice is a criminal offence … little did I know that there was a limit to the number of times one can approach a forum to seek justice!

I naively thought that access to justice …. not limited justice, was a fundamental right guaranteed to all its citizens by the constitution of this country.

For the last 5 years, every petition filed by us kept biting the dust in the registry, un-numbered for years at a time, only to be taken up by the court to be dismissed without it even being heard.

So yes, we approach the Court in pursuit of Justice because justice has been, and continues to be systematically denied to us.

Courts are meant to be a safe haven for an individual seeking justice, but when the very court abuses their power to penalise individuals for approaching them, where does one turn to get justice?

Reprimanding, intimidating and penalising individuals for approaching the court, is a gross violation of their very fundamental human rights.

But sadly, today we live in times where seeking justice is criminalised, reprimanded, and fined … Where honesty no longer has a place in society and where subversion rules the day.

We live in times where rapists, rioters and lynchers are not only entertained, but they walk scot free; whereas honest and brave individuals languish in jail waiting for one fair day in court.

This regime continues to use their unbridled power to subvert systems …. to make a mockery of our once robust judicial system, all with the sole intention to intimidate, silence and break Sanjiv.

To this regime and their stooges, I have only one thing to say:

You may continue to play your unscrupulous games …. we will continue to fight despite all odds.

We have honesty and truth by our side, you have all your powers to be.

So beat us, break us, intimidate us, harass us …. we will keep fighting, till the castle of lies you’ve built on hate, fear and subversion come crumbling down.

We continue to remain unbroken, unbent, unbowed in our pursuit of justice.