Vedas protect those who nurture it: Justice G.R. Swaminathan

A court verdict brought about a realisation that when Vedas are protected, they will guard those who nurture them, said Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madras High Court at a national Vedic talent meet held by a trust in Chennai last week. A video of his speech is now doing rounds in social media.

Recounting an old case in which a Vedic scholar was convicted and sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment over an accident that killed a man, the judge said the incident took place when he was a practicing lawyer.

Justice Swaminathan said he was taken aback when the scholar, who is his long time friend, met him along with another friend and informed about the conviction and sentencing.

Narrating the case, the Madras High Court judge said the Vedic pundit’s sister had come to India on a visit from the United States of America. When she was driving a car during her visit to temples with her children and her scholar brother on board. “It was not clear what happened but the car hit a man in front of a tea stall and he died,” Justice Swaminathan shared.

As the woman had to leave for America, the scholar claimed to have negligently driven the car and surrendered to police. After the trial, the Vedic pundit was sentenced to 18 months of jail term.

In such cases, jail term for only six months is common, said the judge. However, the scholar had told Justice Swaminathan that he was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment because he used to visit the court in full traditional attire (dhoti and upper cloth besides sporting a tuft).

The judge went on to state that when he perused the case papers, he found that not even one witness had identified the person who drove the vehicle. Also, none identified the Vedic scholar in the court, leaving him with no witness against him.

Justice Swaminathan said he took up that case as he was then a practising lawyer and went on an appeal. “We took up this single point and argued in the appeal court,” Justice Swaminathan said, adding the scholar was fortunate as the judge who heard the appeal was his classmate.

Eventually, the scholar was acquitted as there was no evidence against him.

“That day, I realised that when we protect Vedas, Vedas will protect us and I realised it. Till then, I did not have a keen interest in such matters. Think, at least one witness could have said that the scholar drove the car. Not even one said that.” All the eight witnesses said the car ran amok, hit the man and he died, Justice Swaminathan recalled.