Interview with Asim Sarode: Savior of Innocent Social victims

By M H Ahssan

Asim Sarode, an activist lawyer and the founder of Sahyog Trust in Pune, is a savior for many social victims. He brought light into the dark minds of prisoners at Yerwada Prison (Where Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned during Indian Independence Struggle) through a programme designed under Gandhian principles. Apart from that, he rescued many innocent prisoners who had been inside the prison for framed up cases. Asim Sarode expresses his ideas behind the noble actions in an exclusive interview with HNN.

You came up with Gandhian ideologies and principles at a time, when it was declining in the society. What were the major hurdles that you faced in the beginning of your social service?
It is true that I started my activities based on Gandhian ideologies. However, I never mentioned his name in the beginning. My prime idea was Adalat Mukti, that is a society without courts. The activity of the judiciary must go within the society also. Then only the real social problems will come out from the social base. It is an ongoing and struggling process. I started to mention activities as based on Gandhian ideologies at a later stage only.

What were the major hurdles that you face in the social service now?
Nowadays people live very collectively and calculative. In this management society the focus is on material things. The process to reform the confirmed activities of the Indian judiciary system was a major hurdle during the recent days.

As a lawyer you can fight against the evil sides with the society with legal points. As a commoner what role can one play in developing the situation of deprived section in the society?
I appreciate the factor of common man advocating judiciary. In that case one can talk about their own dilemmas. It is same like one person tries to cure his disease through the practice of Yoga without the help of a doctor. Mahatma Gandhi's principles included this idea. However there many hurdles for a common man to advocate judiciary in the present day situation. Many of the lawyers believe that a common man is out of community and they must not be included in the judiciary system.

Do you think that a reworking has to be done from the official level to ensure the well being of the society?
I strongly believe that there must be revaluation of the Indian judiciary structue. However people from the official level and lawyers are making it difficult. We must struggle on that and make them understand the situation.

'Haath Se Haath Milaa' with Urmila Matondkar was a milestone for securing legal aids for HIV patients. What are the major changes that the event brought on the HIV patient' way?
'Haath Se Haath Milaa' with Urmila Matondkar took the message of the campaign to the grassroots of the society. 'Doordarshan' and all the major newspapers featured the event. We conveyed the idea that there must not be any discrimination or demarcation of the AIDS patients in the society. Nobody has the right to deny education for the children with AIDS or children of HIV parents.

Do you think women's issues have considerably reduced in the society due to your activities?
Women's issues are out of our limits at most times. There are many unreported domestic violence cases. The law against domestic violence is still not implemented in Maharashtra. Only in New Delhi it is implemented to some extent. However law is not the ultimate answer for women's issues. I am trying to work forward for them.

What are your achievements in developing the ambience at mental asylums?
I would like to work so much for mental asylums. I support NGOs, which are opposing treatments of 1960s. Those treatments are in opposition to the human rights of those mental patients. We are talking about psychosocial rehabilitation here. In that case the patients should not sleep to cure the disease. The regular dose of sleeping medicines will harm the patients' health.

What are your services to abolish child labour?
I am spreading awareness about child labour through many organizations in Maharashtra. We are trying to give direct protection to the children. There is no effect if they are put into the juvenile homes at younger stage for an unknown crime. Through the Juvenile Justice Act 2000, we are trying to ensure a safe future and safety to the deprived children.

What is your views regarding GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender) movement?
I respect their feelings and feel that we must give space for their feelings. Indian Judiciary system has claimed these types of sexual discriminations as illegal. However it is a criminalisation of human feelings. I feel that their human feelings must be protected. Moreover this aspect is not a new phenomenon. Even in the oldest and famous Khajuraho engravings these aspects have been portrayed.

How did the Sahyog Trust begin?
My father started it 13 years before. It was started with a motto " Life for all." He started Sahyog Trust working on education. He started two schools for Adivasis that run still in Maharashtra. I implemented social legal activism to the trust. Now, Sahyog trust offers effective social justice for those who deserve it.

Rehabilitation of prisoners in jails must be a challenging action to undertake. How did you get initiated into this area of human development?
Rehabilitation of prisoners in Indian jails is a wide process. I am just giving legal support to the poor prisoners. If any prisoner cannot afford to pay a lawyer, I appear for them. At the same tome I try to morally support and motivate the people. I encourage other colleagues to join my endeavor. Many prisoners can become an asset to our society at a later stage. They will start to think, lament and may even want to do compensatory deeds for their past actions. We should not discriminate them in that situation. I am trying to get those prisoners as well as wrongly convicted innocent prisoners out of jail.

Has Kiran Bedi's work in Tihar Jails been a source of inspiration?
Frankly speaking "no." I hadn't read her books till two years after I started my activities. Later I met her personally. She is a wonderful person and true she inspired me.

Do you support capital punishment? Your reasons.
It is scary question. Well, I do not support capital punishment. Not only because it is against human rights but also because the punishment does not curtail the crime. If one is hanged at a moment, you can see that the same crime getting repeated in the same city within a short span of time. Even for culprits of Noida case I wont advocate capital punishment. They cannot wash away their crime within 15 minutes. They must lament in the four walls of prison and undertake rigorous work for years to bring a change to their criminal minds.

Do you plan to extend the services to other prisons in the country?
I haven't even spreaded my service to all prisons in Maharashtra. So many people have called from all across the Indian prisons to implement my actions. I do travel at some times across the country. However I wish to spread these ideas first in Maharashtra prisons.

Any unforgettable incident in your service?
I relieved one person who had been wrongly imprisoned for theft. He was a watcher of a godown and the accusation was all framed up. I never followed that guy thinking that the poor man may not afford to pay my fees. He went to his native and one day he sent me 250/-Rs. Money order. In a note he mentioned that he was able to pay me only that much and thanked me profusely for the service. It is an unforgettable moment in my service.

Similarly there was one guy who was accused as a terrorist by the Mumbai Police. He was arrested in accusation of attempted murder of Narendra Modi. His wife and children were dragged out of the house and all media were following them. I spoke with that guy and after so many struggles able to relieve him. It is also an unforgettable moment in my service.

Tell us about the happiest and most satisfactory moment in your career?
The happiest and satisfactory moments are those smiles on the people's faces after they get their justice.

Who prompted Gandhian ideology in you?
The social service of my family starts from my grand father's time. He was freedom fighter and stayed in Yamatal next to Gandhiji's Vardha Sevagram. He was quite under the influence of Gandhian ideologies. He joined the Padayatra with Mahatma Gandhi. He also got connected with Vinobha Bhave and donated 100 acres of land for the Bhoodan movement.

My father was into social activities during the emergency period of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He fought against it. He is into different realms of social activities now.

Another person who influenced me into social service was Maharashtra Chief Justice Chandrasekhar Dharmadhikari. He is the son of the renowned Dada Dharmadhikari. His noble actions for the judiciary system influenced me.

Where have you done your law studies and schooling?
I have done my schooling at the native village Metikheda. Later I did B.A in political science from Amaravati University. I came to Pune to take graduation in journalism. However I could not get into journalism higher studies. At that time I read somewhere about "Combination Studies." It has mentioned law and journalism studies as a good combination for human right activities. Therefore I joined ILS Pune for L.L.B course.

Can you tell something about Asim Sarode that the world doesn't know?
People often tell that I am great person working on the social issues of helpless victims. However it is only a part of my habit. I can do only this. If someone ask me to do any other work it is impossible for me.

Have you faced any life threatening incidents?
Yes! The first instance was for the earlier mentioned case of helping the "so called terrorist." Some politicians and police officers took it against me and turned against me. The recent threat is continuing for the past 6 months. I relieved a convicted person called Arumogham Kaunder who was in prison for 11years for a crime he hadn't committed. This man was a laborer and could speak only his native language. Police imprisoned him for a framed up case of rape and murder. Now I am demanding 50 Lakhs Rupees as compensation for the poor man. The major culprit in this entire affair is Asst. Commissioner Nandakumar Chougle. He is a threatening person. He is a major threat to my life for past 6 months.

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
At many instances I feel that I should become a law minister. Then I can implement social justice in a more effective way. I will have a big team and I just want to bring judiciary changes for better justice.

If someone wants to join you in your endeavor what would be your primary requirement?
First of all the person must have an open mind. He must be able to see the things from a real angle. At the same time he should not be extremely religious. Not being religious mean that he should not discriminate those in need on the basis of religion.

What is your advice to law students and social workers?
Many students and social workers rely only on bookish thoughts and management calculations while entering the service. It should not be like that. The law students and social workers must have the open mind to understand the social problems. Their eyes should be wide open to see the happenings around them and they must apply their mind to it. Their common sense must be always alive.

The activist lawyer, who stands for the innocent victims in the society, is under constant threats even for his life. Great men like him deserve the support from all Indians while fighting for those innocent victims.