MATS University

MATS Law School

Session: 2013-14
LEGAL THEORY

TOPIC:

“EFFICTIVENESS OF
SATYAMEV JAYATE”

Submitted to: Submitted By:

Asst. Proff. V. Jaishree
Sachin Sharma BB.A-LL.B
Mats university. II sem

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

“It is not possible to prepare a project without the assistance & encourages of other
people. This one is certainly no exception.”

I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible without
the kind support and help of many individuals and Mats Law School. I would like to extend
my sincere thanks to all of them.

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to our faculty (Mr. sachin
sharma) as I strongly feel he is the only person interested in the development of students nor
development of money. I am really thankful towards my legal theory sir for his sweet and
liberal behavior towards each and every student, and I really appreciate the issues sir raises
like same sex marriage, which are so important to focus on. Our sir is a real inspiring
personality for me as he has maden me understood the topics so nicely that I won’t forget it in
my entire lifetime. Our class has attended a lecture of economics of sir, and that lecture
proved sirs interest and so well focus in jurisprudence, as sir related law of demand with
jurisprudents. I really don’t care about others but in my eyes he is the best sir of my entire life
and I will never let his head down in any cost, and I am very thankful to our Director ( Dr.
G.P. Tripathi ) who provided us such a wonderful faculty who gave me the golden
opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic “Effectiveness of Satyamev Jayate”,
which also helped me in doing a lot of Research and I came to know about so many new
things I are really thankful to them.

Next, I convey my sincere thanks and gratitude to my friends, especially Radhika and
Sonal who helped me and supported me in every step of my studies and my loving family for
rendering constructive and valuable suggestions and comments that have helped a lot in
improving the quality and content of the project and also helped me complete the project in
limited time frame.

Thank You
V. Jaishree
BB.A-LL.B
I Sem

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 INTRODUCTION
The law of nature is that Truth alone triumphs – Satyameva Jayate.

Satyamev jayate (English translation: truth alone prevails) is a talk show. The show
premiered on May 6, 2012 on various popular channels like DD National, Starplus, etc. The
show is hosted by very well-famed actor Amir Khan.

Aamir khan is probably one of the fewer professionals with the exception of Mr. Amitab
Bacchan (polio campaign) in the business of entertainment, who have taken up the initiative
of trying to make something happen. He’s known for doing movies related to sensitive issues
(RDB, Taree zameen par, 3 Idiots)

The show highlighted sensitive social issues prevailing in India from a long back such as
female foeticides, child sexually abuse, dowry, medical malpractice, honour killing, physical
disabilities, domestic violence, dowry and many more.

Its great that in each episode of satyamev jayate, different well known NGOs like RSCD,
SRUTI, Stree mukti sangathan, etc are called upon to help and address the issues.

The main aim of the show is social reforms and spreading awareness among peoples. In this
show various critical issues are discussed and public grievances are highlighted and it also
provides certain solutions which when implemented can have great impact on the society.
The purpose of this show was to bring about an awareness, and some degree of change,
“Satyamev Jayate” was more than just a show, it was more of a movement to change people’s
mindset.7 It was not simply an attempt to reform the political class, but to push the people to
think about their contribution to society, how they can better it and how they can change it
themselves.8 The purpose of this was also to help out people who severe injustices were done
unto and were helpless due to the bureaucracy, inefficient institutions, authorities who would
not take them seriously and various other societal pressures.

Satyamev jayate received positive response and feedback from both the critics as well as the
public. The show was widely appreciated by several film makers and television personalities,
politicians and social activists for its research, format, presentation, politicians and social
activists for its research, format, presentation and content.

Satyamev jayate is spreading awareness among the Indian citizens and that is the biggest
achievement. It is an eye opener and very potent weapon to show the malice happening in
our society.

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As the Star CEO Uday Shankar, has spend ample of money for hiring anchor like Amir khan,
for its promotion, advertisement, research and telecast, etc. Due to their brief research in
various topics many malicious activities done in different parts of country came before.
Therefore, the members of satyamev jayate acted accordingly and filed cases against some
small scale workers working in illegal manner. Due to the careful examination of satyamev
jayate the followings things happened:

 The Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court, Arun Mishra has agreed in principle to
set-up fast track courts in Jaipur to expedite all cases on female foeticide.
 Licenses of over 64 medical clinics in Bhopal have been cancelled on the charge of
running sex determination tests
 Maharashtra has registered 317 fresh cases against sonography centres found
indulging in unauthorized sex determination tests. Besides, 27 doctors and four
families have been convicted or fined under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal
Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act.
 Actor couple Ajay Devgn and Kajol has announce the making of a feature film on
female infanticide, while Assamese film Me and My Sister based on the same
subject has just got released in seven languages, across the country.
 The Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has expelled 13 doctors against whom
cases have been filed under the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques
(PCPNDT) Act. The suspended doctors are gynaecologists and radiologists from
Beed, Osmanabad, Jalgaon and Pune.
 Congress party leader in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Arvind Shinde has
demanded to know why was the Pre-conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic
Techniques (PCPNDT) cell in the state was disbanded in the first place.
 The Haryana Government has made it mandatory for pregnant women to get an
ultrasound only upon submitting an identity proof. This is meant to keep tabs over
illegal abortions. The state government is also toying with the idea of embedding
observer chips in every ultrasound device sold in the state.
 In Madhya Pradesh licenses of 65 clinics were cancelled for not submitting final
report on cases of Medical Termination of Pregnancy.
 In Bihar, health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey undertook a 30-km tonga ride
from Sultanganj to Bhagalpur to launch Bitiya Bachao Andolan (Save the Girl Child
Movement) in the state. He has asked Amir Khan to endorse this scheme. and
families opting for sex determination tests.

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 FLAWS OF SATYAMEV JAYATE
“The intent of the show was to use the power and platform of television to drive change.”

Within the four months after satyamev jayate season wrapped out, a horrifying incident took
place i.e. A 23 years young girl died from a brutal gang rape in Delhi. Satyamev jayate
anchor Amir Khan also showed his contribution by tweeting in internet and seeking justice
for the girl. But it’s so evil that we wait for any grievous situation or crises to happen and
then we start acting upon it.

Aamir asks, “Is beating/raping a woman a sign of masculinity?” no it’s obviously not! But
what measures SJ is taking to protect and support them. Tweeting, donating money or
speaking in an air conditioned set is easy, but to protest against govt., making raileys for
seeking justice is very hard like anna hazare has done to make the govt. issue lokpal bill.

In this talk show each episode dealt with a separate social concern in India, this case study
explores how 3 of these 13 chosen issues were tackled, what change was brought about and
how this qualifies for being a democratic innovation. The first issue, was that of female
foeticide, a hugely practiced illegal act in India, it is the act of aborting unborn females due to
the social structure that views boy children as more favourable.

1 The show broadcasted on national television sting operations that were carried out,
revealing doctors who were willing to abort due to the sex being female, they also revealed
the fact that 3 million female foeticide cases are on record and nothing has been done about
it. 'Satyamev Jayate' had invited journalists who had done a lot of work in exposing the row
of sex determination in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar
Pradesh.

A second issue that was dealt with was child sexual abuse, the show revealed shocking facts
that 53% of the children in the Indian population are subject to this kind of abuse. The issue
of not having laws put in place that are robust enough to punish acts of child sexual abuse
was confronted on the show.

The third and final issue was that of the corrupt Indian healthcare, how doctors exploit
patients’ lack of medical knowledge and scam them to make money at the cost of a patient’s
health and sometimes even their life.

In this show satyamev jayate, Amir khan points out the deep routed flaws within the police,
medical and judicial system that fails to support the victims in such grievous and sensitive
issues. A cop locks up an 11 year old rape victim in a cell and threatens her by telling the
consequences if she doesn’t take back her case; doctors who are known as the second god to
give life, they continue to employ inappropriate 2 finger test and our lawyers who fight for
those who can’t fight for themselves, they come with the questions that “how long was his
organ?” The question comes in my mind again and again is, if the police, medical and judicial
system is doing nothing for the society, then what is the contribution of the well known show
satyamev jayate for our society?

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Satyamev jayate deals with very sensitive issues taken an example of inter cast marriage. In
that show a couple were called upon and they were from Rajasthan. The show encouraged
them to listen to their soul and marry each other, the show also guaranteed for their full
support and protection. But since one episode is telecasted no one in that show bothers to
look back and see what the consequences people are facing. That couples called in the
episode of inter cast marriage were killed brutally by the members of their community. Amir
khan sheds a few tears in each episode, so do we and then next week, we move on to another
problem, another critical issue. No one knows what to do with these sad stories.

Here satyamev jayate fails. It fails because the show does not take the issues to its solutions.
The subject that’s being discussed in shows studio isn’t a new one, many peoples in the past
fought rigorously for justice and have registered their voices; leave alone the people, even
news channels have debated, discussed, voted and have broadcasted it.

Satyamev jayate haven’t broadcasted a single episode in sexual exploitation of women in

political system, rape of women by the son of a politician, etc, because they never see
politicians as enemies. They see them as peoples of pear groups i.e. peoples with power and
money. Amir Khan has to live in the society of peer group so; he can never make bad
relations with the politicians.

Amir Khan has left many loopholes in his story. He only presents one side of the coin and
ignores another one all together. His episodes in dowry where women’s looses his life, gets
threatened, treated brutally, just because she is not able to bring money from her parents. Yes
it’s the truth but every registered case is not the same. According to the data of 2011, 63,000
men’s committed suicide due to dowry related issues which are twice the number of ladies
related issues, the show totally ignored this aspect and they not even bothered to interview a
single mother/ sister who lost his son/brother. The world is changing and now some of the
modern women’s are not like their grandmothers. Lakhs of innocent peoples are rotting in the
jails due to one accusation of one lady and they have to prove themselves innocent and they
have no legal recourse available to them. If any show is raising such issues, it’s their duty to
consider each and every aspect related to the topic in their issue.

As the first episode of satyamev jayate has telecasted, about 1000,000 people dialled in to
speak t the superstar to initiate a serious discussion on social issues facing the nation. There
are many lakhs peoples watching this show desiring or intending to bring a reformation. In an
episode relating to amir khan encouraged peoples to vote by message, miss call or email and
they will raise that issue in front of parliament. I myself was very obsessed with this idea and
i encouraged my friends and family members to vote, i also shared the links of satyamev
jayate in social networking sites so that they can get maximum votes which will help them in
policy making for welfare of society. But no action has taken against it. The votes given for
change in the society, only changed and increased the trp of the show and amir bagged many
awards. It’s really unfair; the one who burns the candle and brings light is the only one who
blows air in it.

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 CONNECTING THE TOPIC WITH LEGAL THEORY
Satyamev jayate is doing a mere discussion on social ills Every individual is a rational being
and is worthy of respect and dignity.

When two adults decide to marry and want to spend their lives together, does society or their
families have the right to break the marriage or prevent it from happening through force.
According to utilitarianism theory, they conduct will definitely give pressures to larger
number of peoples an pain to fewer (calculus). But the question arises here is, then also, if
the community goes with utilitarianism theory, the suffer has to be beared by the 2 peoples
who wanted to marry each other. Here their natural rights are being curtailed, and according
to natural law principal. Sometimes, in such cases the families gets the support of police as
well as panchayat (officials). These peoples support and judgements given in the favour of
family direct infringes the natural law principal. As the principal states, if any man made law
infringes/ goes against the natural law then it becomes void/ null. Therefore, the act of
panchayats and police may be correct according to the society but its against the natural law.
As, the natural laws are beyond and superior to the laws made by man and have certain
higher principals. These principals are immutable and eternal i.e. unchangeable and
everlasting.

In this similar case, SJ has given full as surety of safety and protection to the couples who
came to the show and want to marry each other, but as soon as the show passed the couples
were brutally killer (every person has right to life with dignity, the act is against natural law)
by the members of their community. Here SJ also acted accordingly with the concept of
utilitarianism, act the presence of couples in their show increased their TRP i.e. benefit for
the whole crue and the suffer went in the shoulders of the couples.

Law of nature or natural law principal says that the application of the law must be similar in
each and every place, in every country apart from its culture or tradition as natural law is the
universal law. But by showing these kinds of malpractices satyamev jayate is for sure
declining the image (social image) of a country. It is contradicting the point of universal
application of law, because if these activities are taking place in India and not America, so it
is sure that the universal application of the natural law is lacking.

Natural law is not based on mans nature, but it is made by keeping in mind an idol man in the
society. The show is focusing of a person who is doing activities which is also against the
ethical and moral principals (natural law) and also legal rules & regulations (positive law).
The show is showing brutal activities done by people of different community in india but the
show is not at all effecting them, even after seeing the show they neither fear nor feel shame
in the act dine by themselves this is the bad man theory.

The show is gaining TRP and attacking directly in the heart of the viewers by applying the
concept of soft positivist. They are continuously making research and raising the crucial
issues i.e. moral part of the show, and to show the effectiveness of satyamev jayate they have
filed some of the cases of female foeticides, etc. This is totally concerned with the part of soft

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positivist. They should even apply hard positivist as the soft positivist is not at all enough to
make laws and policies regarding such critical issues in our country.

Apart from all the drawbacks of satyamev jayate its biggest achievement is
that it happened and initiated a step to change the country.

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