Films Like 'Singham' Send Dangerous Message: Bombay High Court Judge

Justice Gautam Patel of the Bombay High Court expressed concern on Friday about the detrimental message conveyed by blockbuster films like ' Singham ,' where a 'hero cop' dispenses swift justice without regard for due process, within the realm of cinematic imagery.

Addressing an event commemorating the annual day and Police Reforms Day organized by the Indian Police Foundation, he also raised queries about society's growing impatience with the legal process.

Regarding police reforms, the judge remarked that the Supreme Court's ruling in the Prakash Singh case represented an "opportunity missed." He also emphasized that reforming the law enforcement apparatus is contingent upon our own self-improvement.

He remarked that the portrayal of the police as "bullying, corrupt, and unaccountable" is a populist image, and he added that a similar characterization could be applied to individuals in various public roles, including judges, politicians, and journalists.

The judge stated that when the public perceives a lack of effectiveness in the judicial system, it often welcomes the intervention of the police.

"This is why when a rape accused is killed in an encounter while allegedly trying to flee, people think it is not just alright but it is celebrated. Justice has been served, they feel, but has it?" he said.

Justice Patel noted that this perspective is deeply ingrained and prominently depicted in our popular culture, particularly in Indian cinema.

"In movies, police rail against judges who are shown as docile, timid, thickly-spectacled and often very badly dressed. They accuse courts of letting the guilty go. The hero cop delivers justice single-handedly," he said.

"Singham movie has especially shown in its climax scene where the entire police force descends on the politician played by Prakash Raj...and shows that justice has now been served. But I ask, has it," Justice Patel said, adding that we should think "how dangerous that message is."

"Why this impatience? It has to go through a process where we decide innocence or guilt. These processes are slow...they have to be...because of the cardinal principle that the liberty of an individual is not to be confiscated," he added.

Justice Patel stressed that if this approach of opting for "shortcuts" were to replace due process, it would undermine the very foundation of the rule of law.

'Singham' (2011), an action film directed by Rohit Shetty, is a remake of the 2010 Tamil film with the same title. It features Ajay Devgn in the lead role as a police officer.

Regarding police reforms, Justice Patel remarked that upon reviewing the Supreme Court's 2006 judgment on police reforms in the Prakash Singh case, he was left "with a distinct feeling that this was an opportunity missed".

Films Like 'Singham' Send 'Very Harmful' Message, Says High Court Judge

Singham, an action film directed by Rohit Shetty, was released in 2011.

Mumbai: The cinematic image of a "hero cop" delivering quick justice without bothering about the due process of law, as shown in blockbuster films like "Singham", sends out a very harmful message, Justice Gautam Patel of the Bombay High Court said here on Friday.

Speaking at a function organised by the Indian Police Foundation to mark its annual day and Police Reforms Day, he also questioned people's "impatience" with the process of law.

Talking about police reforms, the judge said that the Supreme Court's judgement in the Prakash Singh case was an "opportunity missed", and also noted that the law enforcement machinery can not be reformed unless we reform ourselves.

The image of police as "bullies, corrupt and unaccountable" is a populist one and the same can be said about anyone in the public life including judges, politicians and journalists, he said.

When the public thinks that the courts are not doing their job, it celebrates when the police step in, the judge said.

"This is why when a rape accused is killed in an encounter while allegedly trying to flee, people think it is not just alright but it is celebrated. Justice has been served, they feel, but has it?" he said.

This view is deeply pervasive and reflected strongly in our popular culture, especially in Indian cinema, Justice Patel noted.

"In movies, police rail against judges who are shown as docile, timid, thickly-spectacled and often very badly dressed. They accuse courts of letting the guilty go. The hero cop delivers justice single-handedly," he said.

"Singham movie has especially shown in its climax scene where the entire police force descends on the politician played by Prakash Raj...and shows that justice has now been served. But I ask, has it," Justice Patel said, adding that we should think "how dangerous that message is." "Why this impatience? It has to go through a process where we decide innocence or guilt. These processes are slow...they have to be...because of the cardinal principle that the liberty of an individual is not to be confiscated," he added.

If this process was abandoned in favour of "shortcuts", then "we subvert the rule of law," Justice Patel said.

Singham (2011), an action film directed by Rohit Shetty, is a remake of the 2010 Tamil film of the same title and stars Ajay Devgn in the lead role as a police officer.

Earlier, talking about police reforms, Justice Patel said that when going through the top court's 2006 judgement on police reforms in the Prakash Singh case, he comes away "with a distinct feeling that this was an opportunity missed".

"....The focus was perhaps too narrow...only on police reforms...there is a much wider dialogue...a broader conversation that we must have," he said.

Justice Patel emphasized that police reforms should not be viewed in isolation, as there are other critical reforms that are equally essential in the broader context.

The judge also commended Prakash Singh, the former Director General of Police for Uttar Pradesh, who had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court advocating for reforms in the functioning of the police machinery. Justice Patel praised Singh for his unwavering and tireless dedication to bringing about substantive police reforms.