Why Justice Bhaktavatsala's homilies are no better than TV serials

Justice Bhaktavatsala could be straight out of an ’80s Bollwyood film. At least, the Karnataka High Court judge, does uncannily sound like the wiry, death-bed bound mother stereotype who would advise her trembling, weepy, ketchup smeared daughter to go back to her monster mother-in-laws typified by the likes of Bindu and Shashikala. For those wondering why a High Court judge might have invited that unfortunate a comparison, one has to check out the Facebook page Remove Justice Bhaktavatsala. The description section reads, " Justice Bhaktavasala encourages women to stay in a violent relationship, for sake of marriage". Strange, but true. [caption id=“attachment_444570” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Justice Bhaktavatsala. Photo courtesy: Facebook page Ban Justice Bhaktavatsala.[/caption] Bhaktavatsala in the past couple of days has managed to amuse, outrage and shock people with his courtroom oratory. An example:

“Women suffer in all marriages. You are married with two children, and know what it means to suffer as a woman. Yesterday, there was a techie couple who reconciled for the sake of their child. Your husband is doing good business, he will take care of you." 

If that wasn’t enough fodder for ridicule, one has to hear what he has to say about unmarried lawyers arguing marriage-related cases.

“Family matters should be argued only by married people, not spinsters. You should only watch. Bachelors and spinsters watching family court proceedings will start thinking if there is any need to marry at all. Marriage is not like a public transport system. You better get married and you will get very good experience to argue such cases,” he advised her.

Justice Bhaktavatsala’s tragedy, however, is less how he turned himself up to be torn apart by feminists, more that he is a judge and not an Indian TV serial. One that beams in every second Indian home, six days a week, minting money out of ridiculous ideas of relationships, that best suits kangaroo courts in Indian badlands. The judge’s concept of marriage and its attendant responsibility, which requires the woman to dump self-respect for ‘adjustments’, is similar to what Indian TV feeds millions of Indian audiences every day - and in the process earns crores-worth advertisements, deals etc. There’s an online petition that is being circulated through the Facebook page, that will be eventually submitted to SC chief justice SH Kapadia, demanding Justice Bhaktavatsala be banned from continuing at his post. Hopefully, Bhaktavatsala will be chastised enough to keep his moth-eaten wisdom trapped in his gullet. But we’ll still have prime-time entertainment TV. Sigh.