AN OPEN LETTER TO UNION MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS & CLIMATE CHANGE
2nd December 2021
Hon’ble Sh. Bhupender Yadav,
Union Minister for Environment,
Forests & Climate Change,
Indira Paryavaran Bhawan,
Jorbagh Road,
New Delhi-110003
Hon’ble Sh. Yadav ji
Re: Pollution - Power, Policy, and prejudice – polluter goes Scott free
1. Sir, I am a senior citizen aged about 67, have seen the days when sky used to be clear all around, the life was slow but with less pollution and now witnessing fast life with extremely high pollution all around. I had been researching on various issues related to pollution by different agencies voluntarily, on my own at my own cost through my Organisation “Society for Protection of Culture, Heritage, Environment, Traditions and Promotion of National Awareness (Regd), and espousing common causes, selflessly without any personal interest. During this period of research, I have come across startling information, which Hon’ble Chief Justice of India had also been highlighting from time to time as appeared in the Media. May I solicit your attention to the speech delivered by him on the eve of 17TH P D DESAI MEMORIAL LECTURE on 30th June 2021, in particular para 7 which reads as under: -
The historical trial of Raja Nand Kumar in 1775, a case famously recounted as the “Judicial Murder of Raja Nand Kumar” amply demonstrates this. Raja Nand Kumar had accused the then Governor General Warren Hastings of receiving bribe. Shortly after this incident, charges of forgery were preferred against Raja Nand Kumar. On 15th June, 1775, Raja Nand Kumar was found guilty of the charges and was awarded the capital punishment by Chief Justice Impey, a close aide of Warren Hastings. The trial had many peculiarities: such as instead of being tried before the local Court by local men he was tried by a British judge and jury, who arguably did not have jurisdiction. Historians have later stated that Raja Nanda Kumar paid the price for daring to accuse the Governor General Warren Hastings.
Since the full text of the speech is available in the public domain, I see no point in attaching the same, so I refrain from increasing number of papers for your honour.
In view of the fact of serious dereliction of duty by the instrumentalities of the State in controlling the unabetted pollution, we can easily say that the deaths of citizens due to impact of pollution is nothing short of “Murders by the State”.
Please read the full letter attached