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Series of Questions, towards ‘GOD’ on TV Channel of Irish Government
Blasphemy Complaint against the Actor of the Show, Rejected.
“Remove the Blasphemy Section of IPC, the insertion during the British India!”
A series of questions shot, were answered by the Irish actor Stephen Fry on a TV show of the Irish Government (United Kingdom) channel. The TV Show raised a lot of tensions in the minds of the religious clerics, making them unanswerable to the utterances in the show. A complaint that was lodged against the actor with Police authority has been rejected now.
In India, Section 295A, the blasphemy provision of Indian Penal Code was inserted during the regime of British Raj. Should it not be removed? Dr.K.Veeramani, President of Dravidar Kazhagam appeals to the Government of India, a pertinent issue related to the Right to Freedom of Expression!
The essence of the news reporting of the TV show in Ireland by Press Trust of India is thus:
Irish Police Drops Blasphemy Case against Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry, aged 59 years is popular action in Ireland. In 2015, he conducted a TV show, ‘The Meaning of Life’ in RTE channel, owned by Irish Government. The cost of conducting the program was borne by Gay Byrne.
Stephen Fry, the Alice: Through the Looking Glass was critical of GOD.
Point blank question towards God!
A question was posed to the actor in the program.
“What would you say to God at the gates of heaven?”
Fry said, “I’d say, bone cancer in children? What’s that about? How dare you? How dare you to create a world to which there is such misery that is not our fault? Why should I respect a capricious, mean- minded stupid god who creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain?”
This TV show awakened the reasoning of the viewers, enabling them to think over the issue.
A complaint was made against Stephen Fry with the Indian Police Authority stating that he had advocated blasphemy, indicting anti-religious fervour. The Police authorities have rejected the complaint on the ground that the telecast of TV show was neither blasphemy nor anti-religious.
The issue, raised by Stephen Fry was earlier raised nearly 200 years back by Robert G. Ingersoll in USA and later by Bernard Shaw and Bertrand Russell in Britain.
The Christian clerics in order to restrain their religious pitfalls and the space of awkwardness, tried the exposing of the reality as offence under Blasphemy law of the State. This act on the part of the State is basically a curbing blow to the Right of Expression.
In India, Section 295-A of Indian Penal Code (IPC) says,
Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs: Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens of India, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise, insults or attempts to insult the religion or the religious beliefs of that class, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
The provision of IPC was inserted in 1927, in British India. What is the relevance of the provision in the current scenario? Why is not the outdated provision thrown away? What is the effect of political independence of the Country, on provision of blasphemy continuing even after the lapse of 70 years? Is it proper for independent India, having been liberated from the clutches of the British, to sustain the black law of blasphemy, inserted by the British? The independence of the Country must be made meaningful!
Can Science accept the views of religions, on the creation of universe?
