If his guns go blazing the way they are now, justice Katju has the potential to soon force the editors to create a new reporting beat exclusively for his comments which are so regular and riotous. Right now, the media is not taking him as seriously as the other way round. There is so much of warmth, a sense of caregiving, an overseeing benign eye when he tells media persons, “You have lost your sense of proportion, but this cannot go on for long. As your critic and well-wisher, I will bring you to the right path.” But the thankless us won’t recognise the Samaritan that he is.

Just a few days ago, the press council of India chief walked out of the general council meeting of the Makhanlal Chaturvedi national university of journalism and mass communication in Bhopal. Newspaper reports said a sulking Katju walked out of the meeting when his suggestion of setting up an educational centre in his hometown — Jaora in Ratlam, the birthplace of his grandfather KN Katju (chief minister of Madhya Pradesh between 1957 and 1962) — was vehemently opposed by a member. This member, later reports said, was Rajendra Sharma, chief editor, Swadesh newspaper, who is also a member of the university’s general council. And you expect Katju to be kind to the media?
When Katju read about this Rushdie controversy, he lashed out at those attending the literary festival itself. “What is the level of the people taking part in this festival? Does their work evoke any kind of admiration for them?” But even this time he didn’t leave the media. Wasn’t it an editor who nixed Katju’s wish of a media centre in his hometown?
Katju felt that the electronic media was dividing the people on the lines of caste and religion by creating an impression that Hindus alone had the first claim over citizenship and others were second-rate citizens. “Minority communities are demoralised in various manners. This is unacceptable in India which is a land of migrants,” he said.

Later, he targeted his anger at Google and Facebook. Now don’t ask us why. Aren’t they called the social ‘media’? “I will bring you to the right path (too),” Katju smiled to himself. In a sharp criticism, he said, “I have seen the content on these sites and found it highly objectionable.” Ahem! Now, this is the problem with the sceptics like us in the media. They see wrong in everything. How else do you think Katju could have defended Sunny Leone? The erudite former judge always knew about Mary Magdalene and Amrapali and for Sunny Leone, Google came handy!