I am appreciative of the gamut of national issues Outlook has brought to the attention of its readers. Of course, I have personally had moments of disagreement. I am reminded of the article on the Ishrat Jehan case, where it was mentioned that I purportedly raised questions on the girl’s “character”. This was an unfortunate case of being quoted out of context. In my years of training as a lawyer, I am keenly aware of the need to handle matters objectively. In this case, it seemed so unlikely that a young girl from a conservative background would have travelled long distances with unknown men. Anybody who knows how our society functions would have drawn the same conclusion. In the same breath, I remember saying this was a more plausible scenario if the girl was travelling on work. Such is the nature of unexplained events and the mark of a mature society is that we are able to critically analyse issues without putting matters out of context. Eventually, what is important is that the media should continue to bring to the fore matters of national importance and give sufficient room to its readers to ponder upon, deliberate and form their opinion on many issues. When this environment of deliberative discourse is achieved by the magazine, I would say that it would be an intellectually gratifying experience for its readers, and that would hopefully increase its subscription too.
BJP national spokesperson and Supreme Court lawyer
Outlook invites readers to take part in its 20th anniversary celebrations. Send us your bouquets and, more importantly, your brickbats. E-mail your entry to editor [AT] outlookindia [DOT] com
