Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission (RSHRC) has recommended meditation in isolation to keep novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at bay. The development comes after taking suo motto cognizance of the pandemic on the day when the number of cases in the state went up to seven and the state government ordered to impose section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code that prohibits assembly of more than five people.
The RSHRC is headed by Justice Mahesh Chandra Sharma, who kicked up a row on his last day as a judge of Rajasthan High Court in 2017 when he told reporters that peacock impregnates peahen by letting it drink.
Justice Sharma, 65, took cognizance of newspaper and TV reports on Covid-19 and lauded state government’s effort in preventing the spread of the disease and managing suspected and confirmed cases. The Commission in its order on March 18 cited the advisory issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“Aayog ye sifarish karta hai ki sabhi vyakti ekant me meditate karein (the Commission recommends everyone to meditates in isolation),” the Commission said.
Soft-spoken and unassuming by nature, Justice Sharma courted few controversies during his legal career spanning nearly four decades. During a court hearing on May 31, 2017, which was his last day in office, the judge suggested that the government declare cow as India’s national animal and adopt provisions to punish those who indulge in its slaughter.
While these observations were contentious, they did not create a huge splash in the media. It was his post-hearing interaction with the press that turned him into an instant celebrity.
Justice Sharma – popularly known as the Dausawala Judge among his colleagues (because he hails from Dausa in Rajasthan) – launched his legal career as a district government college graduate in 1979. He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Rajasthan on January 7 that year and went on to represent entities such as the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Trust, Rajasthan State Mineral Development Corporation and Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation.
After successfully practising in trial courts and the Rajasthan High Court, he was appointed as the additional advocate general of Rajasthan in 2000. Four years later, he was appointed as a senior panel counsel responsible for looking into the central government’s cases. Sharma was appointed as a high court judge on July 5, 2007.
