The Supreme Court on Wednesday was hearing a contempt plea regarding alleged hate speech made against Muslims in rallies across Maharashtra. While reporting on the proceedings, Bar and Bench stated that Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta mentioned about problematic statements by prominent persons on Hindus which are also hate speeches. SG Mehta talked about DMK leader who said that if one wants equality, one should butcher all Brahmins.
Justice Nagarathna: Develop a mechanism so that it does not come to Supreme Court.
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) March 29, 2023
SG Mehta: absolutely we have also found some statements.. which should be added to this petition. Leader of DMK party says that if you want equality you should butcher all the Brahmins
Justice…
To that, Bar and Bench reported that Justice Joseph smiled. When SG Mehta pointed out that this (idea of butchering Brahmins) is not a matter that should be laughed at, Justice Nagarathna asked what made him (DMK leader) says so. Justice Joseph then asked if he knows who Periyar is. SG Mehta said that just because it is a hate speech, it cannot be pardoned because it is said by someone famous, Bar and Bench reported.
In June 2022, DMK leader R Rajiv Gandhi said that Tamil Brahmins should have been killed as per the directions of Dravidian icon Periyar. In a contentious tweet, the DMK leader remarked, “If we Shudras had done what Periyar told us back then, we wouldn’t have had to struggle with Brahmins for justice, rights, education and equality. 3% of you (Brahmins) are still dominating some areas.”
His tweet, endorsing the genocide of Tamil Brahmins, came after political commentator Sumanth Raman had shared a snippet of the Periyar’s 1973 speech in Karikudi in Tamil Nadu.
Periyar’s 1973 hate speech
In the said speech, the anti-Hindu activist was heard calling for the annihilation of Tamil Brahmins. Periyar had lamented how a Brahmin ‘Lord Murugan’ killed demon king ‘Soora Padman’, who supposedly said that there was no God.
“Tamil Brahmins killed him. So, now we can kill those buggers. That won’t be wrong. Maybe legally it will be wrong. That legal offence and all is humbug. We can’t be bothered that it is legally wrong. We have to come to this conclusion,” he had remarked.
Periyar had emphasised, “Wherever we see a temple, we must go inside and break all the idols inside. Wherever we find a Paapaan (slur for Tamil Brahmins), we must kill and destroy him. Brahmins have done this to us. We must avenge it.”
The Dravidian icon had suggested that a few non-Brahmins might have to die for the cause. “If one non-Brahmin Tamil dies while trying to kill one Tamil Brahmin, only 3 of us will die out of every hundred. 94% of us will still remain but Tamil Brahmins will be eliminated. We will definitely go to this level. We can take one step at a time,” Periyar had suggested.
Netizens shocked at Justice Joseph smiling at calls for genocide of Brahmins
Soon after it was published by Bar and Bench on its Twitter account that Justice Joseph smiled at DMK leader’s idea of wanting to butcher all Brahmins, netizens were shocked.
Supreme court it self is biased…If same thing would have been said against other religion…or with respect to the judges religion… would he be laughing…??@jsaideepak @PanickarS
— सृजन स ऐल (@creator200112) March 29, 2023
Netizens felt this was a biased expression by Justice Joseph and wondered if he would have reacted similarly if the talk was about ‘butchering’ people of any other faith instead of Brahmins.
what a shame! sitting judge is smiling on hate for Brahmins..#NoCountryForBrahmins
— shiv (@vkohli77n) March 29, 2023
Supreme Court Judges are new Hitlers.
Another netizen also felt it was a shame that a sitting judge was smiling on hate for Brahmins.
Justice Joshef Smiles ? And he will hearing hate speeches cases !
— Rajesh Sharma (@RajeshS64360794) March 29, 2023
Another netizen wondered about Justice Joseph hearing on hate speech case while smiling at idea of butchering of Brahmins.
"Justice Joseph Smiles"
— Vishnuthirtha (@VishnuthirthaK) March 29, 2023
One community gets so much hate in this country beyond imagination. https://t.co/JcUDPfOgFA
Some even pointed out how the Brahmin community gets hate in this country is beyond imagination.
This right here is intellectualization of calls to commit genocide of Brahmins.
— 🍁 (@gjwhHwttts) March 29, 2023
From the reaction it seems that call for genocide is acceptable if it's issued against Brahmins.
What more reasons do Brahmins need to acknowledge that their enemy is not Abrahmics but BRAite hellhole https://t.co/DSDdWnQsrn
Some even pointed out that a sitting judge smiling at calls for genocide of Brahmins could be considered intellectualisation of calls to commit genocide of Brahmins. As if such hate speech is acceptable if it is issued against Brahmins.
The case is now listed for further hearing on April 28, 2023.
