Recently, I came across this very bitter or rather an unfortunate sequence of event that unfolded in Iran. A Lady by the name of Ameneh Bahrami was blinded by her college mate, Movahedi for refusing to accept his proposal to get married to him. Well this sounds like the old tale of rejection leading to revenge sort of male insanity. The pouring of a bucket of sulphuric acid through the victims head let her so devastatingly disfurged that I virtually began shivering and had a few drops of tears whelming in my eyes. My mind would keep reiterating and praying that such an incident never happens and no man even get thoughts of this sort. However, this story would then shift to another scene where justice is to be delivered ........ A court room. Apparently, the lady felt so emotionally and mentally destroyed that she would use a powerful clause in Islamic laws that is applicable to that part of the world which could enable the victim to retribute for a crime. This action is quite justified for many people who reason out that it would be apt and appropriate given the scale of injury done and the victims loss. However, for a person like me to actually accept or even assimilate these words seemed near impossible. I believe that an institution like the judiciary is just when it ensures justice in a manner that it doesnt call for a violation of human rights. This seemed more barbaric and no man even of the like of Hitler should be subject to such a treatment. This is when I remembered a talk given by Justice VR Krishna Iyer in one of his interviews to Asianet to justify his view to remove death penality :
"No man made Institution( referring to the judicial system in particular) can give life to anything so it has got no right to take life from anyone no matter what the crime be"
I guess these lines serve the right sort of explanation to what I wanted to convey. However, at all points I sympathise with the victim even empathise with her. But as far as the trial and the result is concerned, my intellect is a pole apart. To read more you could very well google this story or log on to
http://www.iranian.com/main/2009/feb/ameneh-bahrami
