Cameras in courts will create transparency

                     

The case for welcoming cameras in courtrooms

Published: September 7th 2011 - at 10:54 am

contribution by Ruhi Khan

As a television journalist who has covered some high profile court cases (in India, where cameras are also not allowed in court), the proposal by Ken Clarke will save reporters a lot of work and create transparency in reporting.

I remember running from a court to give a live report and trying to remember the Judge’s exact words and the exact expression of the characters involved, to give the viewers an idea of what happened. It is a herculean task and often open to interpretation by the reporter.

And its not just the words but the descriptions of the accused – what he/she was wearing, whether he was shaven, whether they smiled etc – all have to be conveyed to the graphic designer to create the perfect courtroom sketch.

But most importantly, televised sentencing will bring in transparency and also closure for the victims and those in similar situations. This is particularly important in cases of mass murderers, terrorism or riots where several hundred people need to see for themselves the punishments handed out to their culprits.

But in the US, the most popular case was the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, which millions watched thanks and turned the courtroom into a theatre of the century, as one commentator put it.

But some critics said the witnesses stepped forward only to get their 60 seconds of fame. Another Judge thought some witnesses felt intimidated by the cameras placed less than six feet away.

The cameras can also be a check on autocratic judges and force lawyers to stay within boundaries of acceptable behaviour and prepare better arguments.

It won’t be an easy task to show televised sentencing. You simply cannot have television crews rushing in with cameras into courtrooms. This will only disrupt court proceeding, create chaos and turn it into a carnival.

There will have to be cameras installed in courtroom with feed available to newsrooms. But how do you decide which cases are important to broadcast? Is it fair to only broadcast sentencing? What about acquittal? And then why just show the end and not the entire trial?

Unless these questions are answered and hopefully with well researched alternatives, rejoicing on Cameron’s decision to welcome TV cameras in court is simply premature.

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Ruhi Khan blogs here. She has worked as a journalist in Mumbai and London in both print and broadcast media. A Jefferson fellow and recipient of the Mary Morgan Hewitt Award for Women in Journalism in 2008, Ruhi currently lives in London and writes on campaigning issues.

Artist M F Husain dies in exile in London

MF Husain's death went unnoticed in London, where he breathed his last. Except at two leading auction houses, Christie's and Bonhams, where his fans lapped up his works for twice the estimated price

Danish Khan

Mumbai Mirror

At the Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital in London's west end South Kensington, not many knew who MF Husain was.

Sources at the hospital told Mumbai Mirror that 95-year-old Husain was brought to the hospital a very sick man. His health deteriorated rapidly at the hospital and eventually he stopped responding to treatment. At 2.30 am local time, he breathed his last.

At the time of going to press, Husain's body was still at the hospital morgue and details of his funeral were awaited. Although some believe that he would be buried in London according to his wishes, there are others who believe that with the Indian government willing to offer assistance to bury him in India, the family may reconsider. However official details are still awaited.

Unlike in India where fans throng hospital gates at the demise of their favourite celebrity, the staff at Brompton hospital barely knew Husain or his work. "I heard on the radio this morning that India's Picasso passed away at my hospital, was he really such a famous figure in India," a hospital administrator asked us when we visited the hospital.

A small paragraph in London's Evening Standard said that 'India's "Piccaso" dies and said that acquiring Husain's work became a status symbol among the wealthy Indians. News media in London briefly mentioned about his death but unlike the Indian press that made Husain headlines everywhere, Husain's death in UK went fairly unnoticed.

Fountain House, another prestigious apartment block where Husain lived, bore a sombre look. The concierge remembered him as a "reserved" person. The only place in London that showed much interest in Husain today was the auction house Christie's a few blocks away, where two of Husain's works went under the hammer.

His untitled work fetched £37,250 almost the double of the estimated price (£15000-£20000) while his more famous painting Sita with the Golden Deer is expected to go anywhere between £50,000 - £70,000.

Arun Vadehra of the Vadehra Art Gallery, who was present at the auction said, "Christie's paid their respects and announced that Husain saab passed away."

Hannah Schmidt of Christie's called Husain's death a "loss of a great master, whose influence on modern and contemporary South Asian art is immeasurable. His leadership and contribution to the art world cannot be overstated and although we will miss him, he lives on forever in his art."

Earlier this week, another auction house Bonhams, sold three of Husain's works amounting to Rs. 2.32 crore, with one canvas depicting a horse and a woman going for Rs 1.23 crore alone.

Bonham's Andrew Currie told Mumbai Mirror that "Husain was a hugely significant figure in the history of Indian art and a legend. It was a real pleasure and privilege to play a role in selling his work."

Slice of Mughal history to be auctioned tomorrow

From Mumbai Mirror

Rare life-sized portrait of Emperor Jehangir, which captures his love for the good life, to go under the hammer at London. It is expected to fetch nearly Rs 10 crore

Danish Khan

Posted On Monday, April 04, 2011 at 03:45:14 AM

In London On London’s famed Oxford Street, the light morning rain has given way to a bright afternoon sun, lifting shoppers’ spirits. The shoppers were, however, unmindful that luxury stores on high street had nothing compared to what was inside at the Bonhams auction house nearby. On Tuesday, a fortunate soul among a very select, exclusive set of art connoisseurs and collectors will be the proud owner of a unique life-sized portrait of Mughal Emperor Nur-ud-din Jehangir. The portrait, the largest known Mughal painting, will go under the hammer, and is expected to fetch between £1 million and £1.5 million (Rs 10.67 crore-Rs 7.11 crore), the portrait vividly captures the power, luxury, desire and aspirations of the celebrated emperor Jehangir. The painting was made when Emperor Jehangir was in Mandu, Madhya Pradesh in 1617. An Ottoman gilt bridle (right), breast-plate and brupper taken from the residential quarters of Tipu Sultan The Islamic and Indian Art auction has 387 objects on sale, but all eyes are set upon the portrait which is the pride of the lot. “The painting is a rarity and when it was last sold at Sotheby’s in 1995, it broke the world record for any Indian painting,” said head of Indian and Islamic Art at Bonhams, Alice Bailey. When Mumbai Mirror visited Bonhams, the other artefacts and antiques were still pushed around and being set up in preparation for D-day. The portrait, however, had neatly found its place resting against a serene white wall under carefully-selected spotlights. It was as if the portrait had itself found a place commensurate with the regal splendour of Jehangir. Painter was a close confidante of the Emperor While no definite information is available, it is believed that the portrait, by artist Abul Hasan, must have taken a few months to complete. The painting was executed while Jehangir was in Mandu (Madhya Pradesh) in 1617, on a fine-woven cotton canvas. Jehangir was the more romantic of the Mughal emperors, a true lover of art and architecture. Abul Hasan was one of Jahangir’s closest confidantes and favourite courtiers. While at Mandu, another painting of a female hunter, believed to be of his wife Nur Jahan, was made by Hasan, which amply proves the faith and confidence he enjoyed. By a layman’s observation, Hasan’s portrait of Jehangir is a study of globalisation in the 17th century. He is shown to be sitting, not on a regular Mughal throne but on an Indo-Portuguese throne. His feet rest on fine, delicate Persian rug intended to make a statement. Jehangir is wearing an embroidered floral tunic over a patka and striped pyjama. The portrait shows plastered jewellery had been applied, half of which according to Bailey, has gone missing. The ring on one of his fingers on the left hand is still there, while only the remains of rings on the other three fingers are visible. Historians widely believed that Jehangir loved alcohol and the elegant portrait reveals his passion. The wine bottle, cups and glass are from Venice and China which show the emperor’s love for luxury. Gold was lavishly used in the costumes and throne. It is not just the material things that interested the Mughals. They took pleasure in calling themselves ‘Shadow of God on Earth’ and were keen to be remembered for their appreciation of knowledge, spirituality and conquests. Thus, Jehangir’s head, not surprisingly, has a ‘halo’ representing the sun and his divine nature. His hand has the earth, which completes the combination of the spiritual and earthly worlds. For the benefit of those with a lesser eye for detail, the border of the portrait with 26 cartouches of Nastaliq inscription says it all. Written in Persian, which was the court language, it starts with the praise for Allah and goes on to describe Jehangir in the choicest of adjectives. Tipu Sultan’s artefacts will also be auctioned An Indian and Islamic Art auction would be incomplete without Tipu Sultan’s artefacts. In 1799, when Tipu Sultan was killed fighting the British, his Seringapatam palace was ransacked and looted. Hundreds of artefacts, antiques and royal items went to the Britishers. And even to this day, they keep on appearing at auctions. Sir Stapleton Cotton, who led a regiment against Tipu Sultan in 1799, brought to England a horse bridle and breast plate belonging to the Mysore lion. According to Bailey, these items were “specially recorded as being Tipu’s personal property”. Made in Turkey of red morocco, they are expected to go for anywhere between £60,000 and £90,0000 (between Rs 43 lakh and Rs 64 lakh). Interestingly, it is believed that these items were not ordered by Tipu Sultan himself but were received as a gift from the Ottoman Sultan. There are several other paintings, artefacts, rare copies of the Quran, swords and daggers that dazzle the well-lit but still-to-be-set-up room. The other magnificent piece that is the cynosure of all eyes is a Mughal emerald seal belonging to Major Alexander Hannay, an officer of the East India Company. The emerald is set in a diamond-encrusted gold bangle and bears the name of Hannay. It is expected to fetch between £30,000 and £50,000 (Rs 21 lakh and 36 lakh). The room at Bonhams where all the items are being kept

Mumbai slum fire story is not about one child star

Ruhi Khan writes: Indian media should rid itself of the Slumdog Millionaire fixation and focus on a generation being exposed to poverty, illiteracy and crime

Image Credit: Nino Jose Heredia/ Gulf News

• By Ruhi Khan, Special to Gulf News
• Published: 00:00 March 18, 2011

Every news media recently carried the news that a slum in India's commercial capital Mumbai was gutted in a fire. All 2,000 odd shanties turned to ashes, almost every possession of those who lived there burnt to dust.
This is not the first time such illegal hutments in Mumbai have been engulfed in a fire, but this incident made international headlines thanks to a 10-year-old girl who starred in Slumdog Millionaire, British director Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning movie.

This Garib Nagar (poor man's land) slum has been a part of Mumbai's queen of the suburbs Bandra for decades now. Bandra is a place with many contradictions. On the west side you have the palatial houses of Bollywood stars. To the infamous East, you would see some of the most heart-wrenching slums, acute poverty, illiteracy and hunger. Scenes that resonate similarities with the poor impoverished villages of Africa.

I grew up on the west side of Bandra. As a child, the only time I saw the East was when waiting at the railway station near an illegal settlement of slum-dwellers who built themselves hutments on a reclaimed patch of marshy land on the other side of the railway station.

I often saw men defecating on the railway tracks, women puffing away at a wood stove or children playing with marbles. At first, you are usually horrified by such images, but soon it just becomes an eyesore and you don't give it much thought.

Years later when I went back to Mumbai as a journalist, I visited many slums. It was an enlightening experience as I saw the city as I had never seen it before. Soon after the July 26, 2005 floods, I found myself on the eastern side of Bandra for weeks. I saw the poverty people lived in, their houses and possessions ruined in the raging floods and children and the elderly battling against diseases like dengue and leptospirosis that followed the floods.

I reported on the issue for Mumbai Mirror, a tabloid of the Times of India group, which was instrumental in getting help and resources to those affected.

Bigger picture

A couple of years later, while working on a feature story for NDTV, I spent a few days at Dharavi, one of Asia's biggest slums and the place where Slumdog Millionaire was shot. It was another eye-opener. For a week, my cameramen and I spent all day shooting in the bylanes of Dharavi.

We worked through our ‘sources' at Dharavi. People in the slum don't trust strangers because a lot of what happens there is illegal, including rampant child labour. But if you have someone to introduce you, they welcome you with open arms and share not just their life stories, but also some of their secrets. We could put most of it on camera and the bits we couldn't only added to the wisdom we acquired in this shanty town.

While I had seen most of Bandra East by then, I had still not entered the place I used to see from across the railway station as a child. Slumdog Millionaire was slated to release around that time and I received a phone call from my office asking me to find the two child actors of the film that actually came from the slums. All I knew was that Rubina Ali, who played the role of Latika, and Mohammad Azhar, who played Jamal's evil brother Salim lived in the Garib Nagar slum.

An address in a slum is irrelevant unless you have people who can lead you to your destination. So my cameraman Rakesh and I spent a good 40 minutes walking through piles of garbage and sticky mud on reclaimed marshy land.

It was tough trying not to inhale the stench of faeces and rotting plants and garbage. Finally, we met some children running precariously on a huge pipeline along the marsh playing what looked like a game of tag. Luckily for us they led us to Rubina's house.

The house looked much like every other house in the slum. A tin structure covered with plastic sheets that was as small as a toilet. It had a small kerosene stove on which Rubina's step-mother was cooking rice and a blanket under which two children, Rubina and her sister, were sleeping.

Rubina led me to Azhar, who lived across the road in equally appalling conditions in an illegal structure built on the roadside. I spent the next two days shooting with the two children in their natural environment. By now I knew many a nook and corner of the Garib Nagar slum, met many of its residents especially children and saw yet another generation being thrown to poverty, illiteracy and crime.

My feature story was about the Slumdog kids , but the recent Garib Nagar fire story is not about just Rubina (who incidentally has a house that she was given after she did the movie). It's not about Rubina losing her Oscar memorabilia in the fire; it's about the plight and future of hundreds of other real ‘Slumdog' children, who unlike Rubina, have neither any shelter nor any stardom to fall back on.

These children were living in a death trap in those slums anyway. Perhaps the fire that has destroyed these children's tragic past can be a hope for their better future. Its time the media took up this campaign.

Ruhi Khan is a journalist based in London.

A tale of two whistleblowers

WikiLeaks changed journalism forever. It was all about exposing hypocrisy, corruption and misinformation through leaked 'highly classified' documents that never made it to the public domain on such a large scale. WikiLeaks gave birth to what the Guardian calls 'data journalism' - a plethora of information that have in it hundreds of stories to be told on international relations, terrorism, war, national secrecy, human rights violations- all in  public interest.

Julian Assange: WikiLeak's chief

 Julian Assange, chief of the whistle blowing website WikiLeaks is in the UK facing charges of sexual assault on two women and facing a possible extradition to Sweden. He is currently attending a London court to appeal against his extradition. Today his lawyers argued that Swedish laws prohibit the public and press to witness sexual assault trials and this means that they do not adhere to UK & European standard of 'fair practices' and hence Assange's trial should not take place in Sweden. Assange has not complained on any human rights violation while in prison in the UK. However, he believes this assault case is politically motivated and a result of his work with WikiLeaks

There is an ongoing legal investigation by the US government into WikiLeak's and Assange's distribution of 'classified' documents. Several US politicians have called for a criminal prosecution of Assange. 

According to Amnesty International, 'criminal proceedings aimed at punishing a private person for communicating evidence about human rights violations can never be justified. At the very least, a significant number of the documents released by Wikileaks appear to fall into these categories, so any prosecution based in whole or in part on those particular documents, would be incompatible with freedom of expression'.

Bradley Manning: WikiLeak's 'source'

Yet miles away at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, a US soldier Bradley Manning faces 'maximum security' and gross 'human rights violation' for allegedly downloading more than 200,000 secret cables from a defence computer network and leaking a copy of a classified video showing a helicopter gunship attack in Iraq which killed two journalists and a civilian to WikiLeaks. He is also suspected to have leaked the 'sensitive' cables that took the world by storm a few months ago.

However, Manning faces abhorring conditions in a country that claims to stand up for justice and human rights. According to a report in the Guardian,  'Manning also remains on what is known as 'prevention of injury' or POI watch which means guards check him every five minutes and wake him at night if he is not fully visible. He was also placed on full suicide watch, which involved him being stripped to his underwear. When he has visitors, he has to be shackled by hand and foot and be accompanied by two guards at all times'.

Any respite?

For Julian Assange the road is definitely rocky. But Assange's case has several loopholes and he might probably be able to escape from its net. He has also found many high profile supporters in London all willing to raise a voice for him and some willing to pay a million pound bail for him. However, Assange will probably always have to watch his back and be prepared for any eventuality.  Assange believes that the US government will take its 'revenge' soon yet he promises to continue his work with WikiLeaks. 

However for Bradley Manning, the road ahead seems tougher. Since his arrest in May last year lawyers and campaign groups have protested against his treatment but not much has been done to help him. Now the Amnesty International has urged the UK government to demand better conditions for Manning as he born to a Welsh mother and under the British Nationality Act of 1981, anyone born outside the UK after 1 January 1983 whose mother is a UK citizen by birth, is regarded as 'British by descent'.

Yet hell has no fury like the American scorn and by publishing US secret documents both have definitely made an enemy for life. It waits to be seen how the world which rejoiced reading these 'secret' files now stands up to protect the men responsible for making them public.