25 February 2010
Withdraw suspension of Professor Siras
Punish those responsible for violating his privacy
The suspension of Professor Shrinivas Ramachandra Siras of AMU based on video-tapes of his private life that constitute a violation of his privacy constitute a serious violation of the fundamental rights of Professor Siras. Profesor Siras has clearly been harassed for being gay.
In the first place, being homosexual is no longer illegal in India. The Delhi HC verdict last year decriminalising homosexuality by amending Section 377 said, “Moral indignation, howsoever strong, is not a valid basis for overriding individual’s fundamental rights of dignity and privacy. In our scheme of things, constitutional morality must outweigh the argument of public morality.” The custodians of ’public morality’ in India disapprove of many things: not only homosexuality, or pre-marital sex, but also marriage in defiance of caste diktats, women wearing jeans, Hindu women marrying Muslim men… the list is endless. Such moral police cannot be allowed to prevail over the fundamental constitutional rights that all citizens enjoy.
In a democracy, we cannot allow a person to be deprived of his job on grounds that he (or she) has affronted ’morality’ or ’culture.’ People’s personal sexual orientation or private life and relationships cannot be the basis to throw anyone out of a job.
And finally, to install secret cameras in someone’s bedroom and film his or her intimate life is an act of sexual violence, and must be investigated and punished.
We join academics, students and gay rights groups in demanding justice for Professor Siras.
Kavita Krishnan,
for All India Progressive Women’s Association, (AIPWA)
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