First Episode:

“I was informed about the timing of the funeral service. Such a wonderful person. The kind of services he has rendered to the society. We have respect for his work. Legally, whatever is there against him is a different matter…We normally don’t get time for TV, but we saw this funeral, and it was very graceful.”

Published in Live Law on 19 July 2021.

And that statement came from a Bombay High Court Judge S. S. Shinde, and such praise was showered on a person called Father Stan Swamy who was a jailed Accused, under The Unlawful Activities [Prevention] Amendment Act 2019, till his death recently and he died at the age of 84 years.

Last Episode:

“I had said, so far as legal issues are concerned, that is different. Suppose you are hurt that I personally said something, I take those words back. Our endeavour is always to be balanced. We have never made comments… But you see Mr. Singh, we are also human beings and something suddenly happens like this…”

Published in Live Law on 23 July 2021.

And such comment was made by the same Judge about three days’ later in response to National Investigation Agency’s objection of his praise on the departed pre-trial Jail Accused, Father Stan Swamy.    

The readers must understand that such retract of a statement by a High Court Judge happens when the nation was surrounded with Pegasus snoop gate controversy and an allegations that the Spyware Application could have manipulated against those intellectuals, who alleged by NIA, having links in Bhīma Koregaon case and were detained under UAPA.

Our perceptions of such developments:

Should a Judge look at the crime of an innocent from the spectacle of an enforcement agency the result could be Last Episode!

Had the Judge made his statement against an Accused with his own spectacle the result could be First Episode!

I have no words to comment on this further, let readers comprehend what it mean to them!