Vineet Narain
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Vineet Narain (b. 1956) is a prominent Indian journalist and anti-corruption activist. His exposure of the 1990s Hawala scandal led him to use a public interest petition to put pressure on the Central Bureau of Investigation. The CBI was widely criticised when its prosecutions collapsed, and the Supreme Court of India in deciding the Vineet Narain Case made directions that included new supervision of the CBI by the Central Vigilance Commission.[1]
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[edit] The man who exposed the Jain Hawala Scam
This man single handedly shook the entire constitutional machinery of India. His famous exposure of the Jain Hawala Scam which involved over 115 top politicians and bureaucrats and the subsequent crusade to bring all the guilty under the purview of law proved to be a major drive towards the cleansing of the entire political spectrum in one go. However this great endeavor was crushed and suppressed by all those who were guilty and feared to land up in prison.
The case got a momentary boost up as a result of a PIL filed in the Supreme Court. In 1996, several Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers and Governors got charge-sheeted for the first time in Indian history.
Hawala Case got hushed up but not before several landmark decisions were passed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the Vineet Narain Vs Union of India and Ors case, which is the most oft quoted case in matters pertaining to corruption. His web site is www.kalchakra.org.in
[edit] The man who dared to lock horns with the Indian Judiciary
Narain's crusade for the first time in the history of independent India brought about daring facts which questioned the integrity of even the highest court of justice of the country.
Displaying his infinite courage and allegiance to truth Narain brought out a series of land scams of one of the sitting Chief Justices of India. Resultantly, contempt of court proceedings were initiated against him in the most stark manner and he had to flee the country to save his life. [2] Later on, due to the intervention of various international consortiums like Committee to Protect Journalists the Indian establishment withdrew all the proceedings against him.[3]
[edit] The man who founded independent TV Journalism in India
To ensure objectivity in electronic media he launched KALCHAKRA the first video magazine in Hindi in 1989. His patriotic efforts faced hurdles due to financial crisis and by the govt. controlled censor board. However, his weekly syndicated column in several regional dailies is very popular with the readers for its objectivity & boldness.
Earlier he worked as a correspondent of national dailies and has appeared in programmes on several international television networks. Having started in 1980 he is one of the pioneers of investigative TV journalism in India. TV & Video World reported, "It may sound surprising, but men of principles, willing to take tough stand and unwilling to compromise on basic ideals, still exist in our society. When, in April 1987, one of his programmes in the Sach Ki Parchhain series was arbitrarily stopped by Doordarshan authorities, its producer, TV and newspaper journalist Vineet Narain vowed never to present anything on the government-controlled network until it was made autonomous and functioned more democratically."
[edit] The Family Behind
Born in 1956, Vineet Narain had his early education in Western Uttar Pradesh and did his higher studies from JNU, New Delhi.
His late father was a noted academician and served as the Vice Chancellor of two prominent Universities in U.P. A man of values and integrity he fought against undue interference of the political masters in the admission procedure of some of the professional courses in the state.
His mother is a well-read lady with strong conviction for Gandhian values. She was active in students politics at the Lucknow University. Her late father was the then Secretary of the UP Legislative Council.
Narain married out side his caste to break the typical Indian caste barriers. His wife is an Asst. Professor teaching Russian language at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. During the festival of USSR in India she used to be the Russian - English interpreter for Mrs. Sonia Gandhi at the National Museum, Janpath. Unlike Narain’s crusading background she had her schooling from Modern School - an elitist institution of New Delhi. She hails from a Mathur family where several members are highly placed in civil or diplomatic services in India and abroad. It is creditable for her to share life with a man whose priority in life is nation and not the family.
His 18 years old elder son Azeez Narain is a student of Engineering. He was given this peculiar name when many Muslim kids were brutally killed in a police firing at Moradabad (UP) in 1980. This happened due to some clash after Id namaz. Narain's thought that their son should be a symbol of peace and communal harmony. Azeez is a sort of celebrity among the school kids in USA. A chapter is devoted to his daily routine and life-style in a textbook of Geography, which is being taught to the children in USA. This 700 page book has been produced by the MacGraw Hill, New York. Recently, when he was preparing for his 12th boards and IIT Entrance exams J&K Police was repeatedly knocking their doors to arrest his father, who was campaigning against judicial corruption in India and abroad. Doesn’t it remind of the pre-independence days ? His younger son Eeshit Narain is 13 years old and keen to know the world.
During the Hawala crusade these kids were 10 and 5 yrs old. They received numerous threatening phone calls, when they were told they will not return alive from school. These children have learnt to live with such anxiety.
Theirs is a spiritually oriented vaishnav family with simple lifestyle. Narains are always busy helping, hosting and promoting social activists and good people from mufassil towns of India, who approach them with their problems relating to the corruption in the system.
[edit] The Journalist
Considering that the pen is mightier than the sword, Vineet Narain chose journalism as an instrument to seek truth about the failure of the system in checking corruption at the highest levels and to raise such issues concerning ordinary people, which are often ignored by the mainstream. In this process he locked horns with some of the mightiest people of the land and achieved historic success in several of his crusades. Today his name is synonymous with the fight against corruption, yet, the established opinion makers are often hesitant to give him his due credit. Institutions which claim to recognize and encourage such courageous people, also prefer to promote their favorites due to vested interests. If one glorifies a lie and suppresses the truth then how will he be an instrument of establishing the goodness in society ?
[edit] The Crusader
Vineet Narain has been a man of crusades against corruption all throughout his career.
He got several Union Cabinet Ministers, Leader of Opposition, Chief Ministers, Governors and senior bureaucrats charge sheeted in the Jain Hawala Case. This happened for the first time in the history of India
Despite their reluctance, he forced CBI, the Taxation and FERA depts. to take action against these influential people.
In July 1997, Mr. Narain compelled the Chief Justice of India to reveal what was happening behind the scene to subvert the Hawala case.
Despite sufficient evidences, when the Hawala accused politicians started getting discharged, he exposed this conspiracy in his shockingly revealing book titled, ‘Hawala ke Deshdrohi’ & ‘Dangerous Silence’.
Once again in Feb 2000 during the ‘Big Fight’ show on Star TV when Mr. Narain forced the CVC, Mr. N.Vittal to re-open the Hawala investigations, entire political class created nation wide hue and cry against this move. If there are no evidences in Hawala case then why are they so scared of investigations ?
[edit] The Social Worker
Narain has been drawn to social work from his early youth. He worked in a village at the age of 18 years with an NGO out there. The impressions of the real state of India and the wider social context we live got impringed into his psyche for long. His social commitment reflects very well in his writings and even in his day to day life as well.
[edit] Current Involvements
Convener Braj Rakshak Dal After having fought corruption at the highest echelons of power and setting up some of the highest standards in journalism Mr Narain has been dedicating most of his time and energy in the wider restoration works in Braj - the land of Lord Krishna. To know more about Braj work you may visit www.brajrakshakdal.org
Regular columns in over two dozen national dailies Vineet Narain writes a syndicated column in over 22 national dailies on a weekly basis.
Weekly Radio Interview to SBS Radio, Australia Vineet Narain gives a weekly news report from India on telephone to SBS Radio, Australia and also contributes to weekly columns in two dozen popular dailies of India.
Guest Lectures He is frequently invited by prestigious organizations or universities in India and abroad to give public lectures on political and developmental issues.
Kalchakra Investigative News Bureau Through Kalchakra Investigative News Bureau he along with his small team of associates, undertakes important assignments to investigate major scams in India. He does this work voluntarily and passes on his findings to other media set-ups in public interest.
People's Vigilance Commission Being the founder Secretary of People’s Vigilance Commission (a group of 22 well-known crusaders headed by Mr. J F Ribeiro, Ex-DGP, Punjab) Narain helps those upright people who are victims of corruption in high places.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Vineet Narain Case, Directions of the Court accessed at [1] Nov 2, 2006
- ^ INDIA: Vineet Narain contempt trial postponed, August 10, 2001, Committee to Protect Journalists, New York accessed at [2] Nov 2, 2006
- ^ India annual report 2002, Reporters Without Borders accessed at [3] Nov 2, 2006
